Love Not Included
by BewilderedFemale
Summary: Vulcan/Human Pairing. She wanted nothing to do with love. His life revolved around logic. Nothing would ever transpire between them if placed together in a working environment other than acquaintanceship... Right?
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a brief interlude from the story I'm currently working on: "Illogical Love" The sequel is in the works. For now I'd like to present a Vulcan/Human story of how two people can find love in the most unexpected way. Like my other story, they center on drama and interspecies relationships.****  
><strong>**Hope you enjoy.****  
><strong>

Sarah felt all of the air rush out of her body in that instant.  
>Her legs felt like they were going to give out and she was light headed; small stars were forming before her eyes as the blanket of black wanted to drape her to unconsciousness. She had just walked in on her boyfriend of eleven months cheating.<p>

"I can explain!" He cried out to her still wrapped around his blanket of sin as he ran after her.

Her eyes were red, her face was stained with tears and yet she spoke as calmly as possible: "From this day forward; I will never speak to you again, and if you have even one ounce of respect for me and my wishes, you will leave me be." She calmly turned back around and left.

Sarah spent much of the remainder of the day in the park sitting on a swing. Under normal circumstances she'd be self conscious about someone as old as her being seen sitting on a swing but she couldn't bring herself to care. Ever since she was a young girl she loved swings. It helped her think and the feel of the air when it hit her face was refreshing.  
>She came to a conclusion on that day. Love for a man had caused her nothing but grief and frustration in her life. She had even been willing to set aside her life goals because she thought that this was the man she would end up marrying and she cursed herself for not having been able to see the truth of the matter right before her eyes.<br>In a way it was good that this happened now, how much worse would it have been if their relationship had progressed to the point of marriage?  
>She would do what she wanted now, she'd focus on getting ahead in life. She had always wanted to enter StarFleet but her boyfriend had been against it claiming that it would take away their choice of settling down and having the perfect family. She would've been willing to do anything for this man and look at how he repaid her; with deceit.<br>She had decided; she would enlist in StarFleet as soon as possible.

OoOoOoOoOoO

1 Year later...

Zareth had been suspicious for some time now that his bonded L'Rii was becoming involved with another male. Over the years he had felt the hold of their bond lessen but in the past year he felt it most acutely and now it was but a shadow within his mind as he search time and time again for her and it had progressively declined from an occasional acknowledging whisper to absolutely nothing. This attempt now confirmed what he had thought for when he tried to reach her during meditation; he felt her purposely close off as if hiding something from him.  
>He understood that this could be derived out of various possibilities. She could have been keeping some sort of family difficulty or something of that nature from him and so he decided to see her in person.<p>

Upon arriving to her home, he was greeted by her father who gave no salutation, nor any invitation to come into his home.

"L'Rii is not here Zareth. As you know, she has been spending much of the past year traveling back and forth from Betazed helping our first Vulcan Embassy there.

"I see." Zareth responded. "Although one of the reasons for my being here was to inquire as to how you and your family are faring."

The elder Vulcan raised an eyebrow and replied: "We are well as you see."

Zareth nodded. "Please give my regards to you and your family." He then turned and left. The elder Vulcan was still watching him when his wife crept up behind him.

"Do you think he suspects?" She whispered.

"I do." He answered. "This cannot continue; I shall need to speak with L'Rii as soon as possible."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Another year later...

Zareth would never admit that his decision to join StarFleet had been driven by past personal difficulties in his life on Vulcan, no. It was much more logical to consider that it seemed like an excellent opportunity to delve into a new expanding region of scientific possibilities. By now it was not uncommon to hear of past Vulcans who had enlisted. There was Spock, and K'Tiran, and a few others who had paved the way and had all turned out quite successful in their endeavors. He would also never admit that Earth had held some what of a fascination to him. He had done much research on Earth, it's fruitful prospects but what would really prove to be a challenge was to interact with humans. He welcomed this however, and looked forward to the learning aspect of this.

His family did not initially approve but after what had occurred between he and L'Rii, not to mention the effects their dissolved bond had caused, in the end they had seen his leaving Vulcan to work in StarFleet as a logical choice.

After his first semester, he was so ahead in all of his classes that he had been moved and placed into classes that were mostly made up of second year cadets. He never socialized unless absolutely necessary, held no ties with anyone, and focused solely on advancing as much as he could.

He quickly realized that although the campus library was extremely vast and quite suitable for studies, it was really only acceptable to him Friday evenings, the weekend, and occasionally during Wednesday nights for any other time it was crowded and filled with many cadets all trying to study. Zareth enjoyed his solitude so on the days he did not go to the library, he stayed in his quarters.

One day after gathering all his items and making his way towards the exit, one of the library assistants who was carrying a stack of books stopped him. "You know." He began. "If you wish to find a more quiet place to study; there is a computer lab in the west part of the building that is almost always empty. You can study there."

Zareth cocked his head to the side and at first did not know how to respond but then said: "How did you?"

"I am a Betazoid and I couldn't help but pick up on your annoyance at the number of people that are currently here."

Zareth stammered, his eyes wide. "I felt no such emotion." He retaliated calmly. The Betazoid winked and smirked at the same time. "Ok, whatever you say." Then walked away, his stack of books in tow.  
>Zareth raised an eyebrow and then shook his head as he made his way to the lab. It was not hard to find and he was suddenly grateful for the fact that he had been given this tip for the lab was empty from what he could tell. He began to walk towards a work station when he heard the distinct sound of paper shuffling. He really should just get started on his work, but curiosity got the better of him as he approached the area of where the sound was emitting from. He walked down several work stations and then came upon a corner where a humanoid female sat. She was so engrossed in her studies that she had not noticed him come in. She suddenly dropped her pencil on her desk and shot her hands up behind her head in a stretching pose when she looked up and saw him standing there. Her eyes went wide a small yelp escaped her lips as she jumped in her seat.<p>

She was quite probably the most pleasing humanoid he had ever seen since his arrival on Earth. She had dark silky hair that was tied back. Her skin was pale, and her eyes; a brilliant emerald color that he had never before encountered, they were encompassed by long dark lashes. He knew he was staring so he quickly asked:

"Did I frighten you?" He knew humans were easily put ill at ease.

Her brows furrowed together and then she asked him: "Was that your intent?"

"I assure you that it was not. I thought I was the only one here and when I heard the shuffling of your papers I came to investigate."

She stayed staring at him, but said nothing. There was no particular expression on her face and he thought this very strange for humans were usually extremely expressive, particularly in their facial features.

"I study here; I prefer it to the library." She replied, but quickly picked up her pencil and began writing again; allowing the Vulcan to understand that their conversation was now concluded. 

"_What a perplexing human_." He thought to himself, but all thoughts then vanished when he situated himself on one of the stations and set to work. He didn't think about her until he heard the shuffling again and realized she was getting ready to head out.  
>She walked past him and the view of her standing now allowed him to assess her further from a different angle. She was normal by humanoid standards. Not thin but not overweight, her uniform accentuated the curves on her body and this he realized he found agreeable. He was very discreet in doing this and knew she had not noticed. She tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear as she passed him and then remained staring at him for a moment as if contemplating talking to him.<p>

"Do you come here often?" He finally asked. Maybe this would set the path for another conversation, why he wanted one; he was not sure.  
>"Yes, almost everyday as a matter of fact." She replied.<p>

"Is it normally this solitary?"

"For the most part it is. On the weekends you will have the occasional group of people but they leave after about two hours time."

"I find this place agreeable for study purposes. I may frequent it as well now that I have discovered it."

"Are you a first year? I don't believe I have seen you around campus before." She said. As he looked at her while she spoke, he realized that her skin was close to perfect as far as it went for humans he had seen so far. Completely blemish free. There were tints of pink on her cheeks which he assumed was either purposely placed there or due to the accumulation of blood, he did not know which.

"I am but I recently was re-assigned to second year status."

"Wow, that's very impressive!" She said, her emerald colored eyes growing slightly wider; they really were a wonder to look at.

"What is your name?" He asked suddenly.

"Sarah, Sarah Williams. I am also a second year, curious we do not have similar classes, what is your name and what are you studying?"

"My name is Zareth and my field is in environmental engineering."

"That might explain why our paths had not crossed before, my field is in computer programming."

"But you require math and science to accomplish this do you not? I would think we might eventually require taking a similar class."

"That could be, but I purposely took the majority of my math and science classes last year to get them out of the way."

He slanted his head to the side as she said this. "You infer to this as if you dislike said subjects."

"I do, but it is required of me, so I do it."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing further on the subject.

She looked at her PADD and then tucked it in her arm. "I must be going. I guess I will see you around."

"It is 97.928 percent likely, now that I will come here to study."

She gave a very faint smile and left. He watched as she walked away through the glass pane of the room. He kept trying to process how different she had been in comparison to other human females he had seen so far. For the most part they were very social, seemed eager to receive attention, particularly by males, and always seemed to be grouped together with other females when they were not in class. When he had arrived, he realized that she had reacted apprehensively towards him. As if he had been disturbing her, but it could've been attributed to the fact that he had frightened her. He would examine their next meeting and maybe ask questions since he still had a lot he did not understand about Earth and it's inhabitants.

OoOoOoOoOoO

As Sarah walked out of the lab, she sighed loudly and realized she felt a weight fall off her shoulders. She really needed to try and get out and be around people. The last thing she was ever expecting was to be startled by a curious Vulcan, at least she guessed he was from the manner in which he spoke and comported himself. At first she was annoyed that she had been bothered for she had grown accustomed to being alone in the lab, seeing him was like being reminded that she had to share that working space, she knew she was being selfish.

As she walked out of the building, she became aware of how hungry she was. The smells coming from the cafeteria were inviting but going in there meant having to sit down amongst groups of people and she didn't really care for that at all. The last time she had gone to the cafeteria, a cadet named Kevin sat across from her and kept trying to ask her out.  
>She knew a lot of the guys here looked at her, some of them tried to start conversations but she never gave them the time of day and most of them were turned off anyway when she put on her "Don't bother me" front. They thought her stand-offish she knew. What they didn't know was that she really wasn't like that but she had to be for the sake of not becoming attached to anyone, and keeping focused on her work, there was no other way.<br>She didn't know if the Vulcan had picked up on this, and frankly she didn't really care one way or another. He seemed harmless and she knew they were a purpose driven people so he probably wouldn't bother her. He would definitely not be a threat. 


	2. Chapter 2

**FF is being retarded and some paragraphs will probably show up bold. Please disregard. I will fix it asap!**

Two days had passed since Sarah and Zareth met in the study lab. At 600 hours, Sarah got up and greeted the day with her routine morning jog around the bay area. It was a chance to reflect on what lay ahead that day, plus it provided her with a beautiful scene of the rising sun. She loved running, and she always felt so good afterwards.  
>After showering and changing, she set about her daily routine of attending classes, taking notes, and mentally organizing what she would need to study later that day.<p>

Things however did not go as usual that day for Commander Denning who taught Digital Networking Concepts called her after class. She always did her work and was currently getting high marks in the class so she knew she couldn't possibly be in any sort of trouble. She approached wearily and upon hearing her, the commander raised his head and observed her through his grey eyes. It was a shame that she was his student; otherwise he would pursue her as a potential girlfriend. Not only was she incredibly intelligent, but she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He could not understand how she was single… At least he supposed she was single for he had never seen her with a man before. Come to think of it; he hardly ever saw her with anyone, she was what people would term: "A loner" It seemed like such a waste.

He smiled as she stood before him, and she in turn gave a very small smile, but it was still a smile non the less.

"Cadet, how are you enjoying this class so far?"

Sarah's emerald eyes grew wide, her lashes fluttered as she blinked in shock. "I errr.. I enjoy it very much commander." She replied shyly.

"Good!" the commander exclaimed happily. "I have a proposition for you. Do you have a few minutes?"

"Yes, I was just going to head to the lab and study now. My classes are done for the day."

The commander leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in front of him as he observed her. He had to stay professional, but he just couldn't get over how lovely she was.

"I have been given the assignment to gather a group of talented cadets and individuals to program and test a new concept that Star Fleet wants to in time get rolling. It is rumored that this will one day be available in every single star ship that is made, but we are in the very beginning stages right now. This is big Cadet, and I think it only fair that extend you the opportunity to be a part of a it as a programmer."

At this Sarah formed a huge smile, causing the commander to smile in turn. Yes, she looked even lovelier when she genuinely smiled, unlike the forced one's she usually gave.

"I am eager to know what this all entails." She said excitedly.

"Yes well, what we're forming is called a Holodeck. It is essentially a simulated reality facility. It's a combination of transporter and replicated matter along with tractor beams. Our job is to establish the holographic images and that is where you come in. You're a good programmer and if your work has shown me anything, it's that you have a very strong creative side. You think outside of the box and we need people with that kind of talent."

He now pulled out his PADD and began to show her images of what it would look like and something he himself already programmed.

"What would be required of you is to come into the lab twice a week for three, sometimes four hours and work with a team of other cadets and commanding officers to get this off the ground. I don't think I need to tell you how impressive this will look on your resume. As well as it giving the ability to open many opportunities for you, so; what do you say? Can I count on you to be one of the programmers?'

Sarah was ecstatic! The only thing she wasn't so thrilled about was the fact that she would have to be working with other cadets, but she could get past all that for the obvious opportunity of a life time.

"I accept your offer commander." She said smiling.

The Commander's eyes twinkled as he looked at her, he leaned closer towards his desk and folded his hands yet again.

"A wise choice; I will be keeping you informed. You may go now cadet."

She nodded, still smiling. "Thank you sir!"

She almost tripped as she climbed up the stairs, she was so overwhelmed and excited. She dashed out of the room and towards the lawn, heading for…. She didn't really know where she was going but the adrenaline coursing through her had taken over, if she had friends, she would most probably be tripping all over herself to spill the big news, but she remembered; she didn't have any friends.

To compensate; she ran.

After running around the campus like a mad woman; she did eventually make it to the study lab where she found the Vulcan from before already sitting in the same seat as the last time they had met. He was scribbling away, totally focused on what he was doing until she took a couple of steps and then his swerved towards her.  
>The movement was so sudden that she gave an involuntary gasp.<p>

"Did I frighten you again?"

Something of this nature would normally annoy her but she was in such good spirits that she just laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you really do that on purpose."

He raised an eyebrow. "I certainly do not."

"Yeah, ok." She said as she pushed her bag further down her shoulder. She was about to walk away when he continued to speak.

"You look as if you have been perspiring, has the temperature changed in the last forty seven minutes and twelve seconds?"

She laughed again, who in the world said these kinds of things?

"It hasn't, I just ran around campus a few times and worked up a sweat."

"You ran? In your uniform?"

"Yes, after receiving some rather wonderful news I might add." She was now smiling for she began to remember the previous events.

"May I inquire as to what you're referring to?"

"I've been asked to program holographic images of the new Holodeck project." She practically gushed as she said this, her cheeks turning even rosier than they normally were.  
>Zareth noticed how becoming her emotional state made her appear.<p>

"This news caused you to run around campus? I do not understand."

"Forgive me for asking, but you're Vulcan are you not?"

"I am." He said.

"Well," She said as she pulled out a chair from a close work station.

Her emerald eyes grew wide with fascination and he couldn't help but observe them along with her reddened cheeks, and her pink mouth. This would not be an issue if he were bonded.

"When we humans get excited," She began. "We get adrenaline rushes that are either sated by some sort of physical activity or eating large quantities of chocolate… Which reminds me, I need to stop by the grocery store. But.. .. anyway; I can't believe I've been given such an incredible opportunity!"

"I do not see what is so incredible about it." He said bluntly.

Sarah's smile fell instantly.

"I know what you are referring to for I myself was approached to do some work on the same task and it is exactly that; just a task."

"Are you crazy?" She exclaimed as she rose out of her seat. "This isn't just some task, this is an incredible opportunity!"

His eyes widened at her sudden outburst. The first time he had met her, she was quiet and extremely reserve, almost Vulcan-like and to suddenly see the emotional outburst was a bit alarming. Yes, she was indeed human.

"I can tell you first hand that this is nothing out of the common way for I've looked at the engineering specifications of the upcoming Holodeck project and while it is fascinating, again; I infer that it is nothing out of the common way for me as a Vulcan for we have a similar device back home that serves technical and training purposes. To a human perhaps it could be viewed as something extraordinary."

All she could do was stare at him, her face having gone completely solemn. In a matter of less than a minute; this being had taken the most incredible thing to happen to her so far in her Star Fleet career and make it seem like something extraordinarily miniscule. This is why she didn't have friends; this is why she didn't get attached; who the hell needed this kind of shit?

She rose up out of her seat without saying another word and walked over to her normal workstation. Screw him, she was going to work hard, and studying was the start of it.

She was pulling her books and various supplies out of her bag when she again was startled by hearing the close proximity of his voice.

"It appears I have offended you. I did not wish to do this."

She jumped in her seat and sneered: "You really need to stop doing that."

"Offending you?" He asked in a confused manner.

"That wouldn't hurt, but what I meant was the creeping up on me."

"Creeping?"

She turned around, her emerald eyes blazing. For some reason he found this extremely alluring.  
>"The sneaking up on me so suddenly. You know that on earth, when you wish to speak to someone, you usually begin with a salutation, asking how they are, and then moving on to the topic at hand. Do they not do this on Vulcan?"<p>

He seemed to think about it. "We do, but you and I seem to meet under uncustomary circumstances; it could not be helped."

She sighed loudly and chanted mentally: "_Just let it go, Just let it go_."

"Perhaps." She finally said. She then turned around and looked at him; really looked at him. He wasn't all that bad looking.  
>What was up with the helmet hair though? His eyes were so dark they appeared like round pools of black. His skin was pale but had an olive hue, especially around the cheek areas. He had a strong looking jaw, and thin lips. He was tall though; she estimated he was close to six feet, while she herself was only 5"4'.<p>

The truth was, he did seem kind of intimidating, and especially with that solemn expression he had all the time. Someone you definitely did not want to cross while walking alone in the middle of the night. She shuddered slightly.  
>The only amusing thing he had going for him was his ears. They reminded her of the fairy tales she use to read about when she was growing up about witches, goblins, and elves. This made her smile, she wondered what he'd look like wearing a kokiri outfit while carrying a bow and arrow.<p>

She wondered if her looking at him was making him uneasy for he cleared his throat and was moving slightly; she was staring she knew. Serves him right! How dare he belittle her achievement!

"So I guess this means we'll see more of each other now that we're working on the Holodeck project." She said.

"It would be accurate to assume this, yes."

"Fabulous." She muttered under her breath, but he having sensitive Vulcan hearing picked up on it, but he didn't comment on this. He instead went back to his work station and continued studying.

He got the impression that she didn't think very well of him. Normally he did not care what people thought of him. His objective in coming to earth was not to receive praise from humans, but rather to advance himself, and while learning about his inhabitants was part of the objective; gaining praise from them didn't fit any sort of logic. Why then however, did it sit unwell to think that she did not think well of him? These thoughts unsettled him and he realized he would have to meditate over the matter.  
>He currently did not know what he could do to alleviate the situation, so he decided he would just focus on studying.<p>

He was unaware of how much time had passed until he heard her shuffling papers like she normally did when she was about to leave. He turned his head and observed her discreetly as he had last time. Noting the smoothness of her skin, the shimmer of her hair, it was held back with a different color tie today, light blue.

He thought she would leave and not say anything, but as she passed she began to speak: "How long do you normally stay here? Do Vulcan's eat?"

He turned around to face her. "To answer you first questions; I normally stay here until 1900 hours, and to the second; Yes, I do."

She smiled at his answer, noticing that he was still unaware of jokes. "Have a good evening Zareth."

He nodded, and again watched her leave until she was out of sight. She indeed was an intriguing human.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

**Two weeks later…. **

"What do you mean it's illogical, it's fun!" Sarah exclaimed.

"It does not serve a valid purpose." Zareth replied.

"Ummm, yes it does; to satisfy my need to relax and take a dip in the pristine waters of my childhood."

"A dip?" Zareth said as he cocked his head to side as he usually did when he was confused.

"Look, I think that Holodecks should serve a recreational purpose as well as for training. Don't you ever relax and unwind?"

Zareth raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I study or meditate."

Sarah closed her eyes and placed her hand over her face. "You're serious aren't you?"

"I'm always serious, why would you think I am not?"

"Good question, I should know better by now."

She was now typing at furious speeds on her work station computer, typing code as if her life depended on it and then she pushed enter. "There! It's done. Now I have to ask Commander Denning if I can test it."

She now got up and started putting her things away. "You watch Zareth, this is going to blow everyone away!"

"Why would you want to blow everyone away?"

She laughed. "It's an expression meaning that It's going to shock and excite everyone with how flipping brilliant this is. God, I'm so smart!"

Zareth raised an eyebrow. "I can state 367.52 reasons why you are not." He replied. "And that is with the data given taking into consideration that I have only known you for two weeks, three days, and twenty seven minutes."

Sarah who by now was getting use to these kind of remarks merely winked at him and said: "Thanks, you flatter me! Well I'm leaving now."

"The number just went up to 368.54, for stating to obvious." He said with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Speaking of stating the obvious, you haven't studied for a minute sine you got here because you've been too busy overseeing and trying to convince me not to create a recreational program. How bout you actually do some work huh?"

Zareth blinked, and she suddenly put her hands up. "I was just teasing Zareth, do not take it literally."

He began to turn. "I'm going to tend to my studies now."

"Atta boy! Go have some fun!" She teased, and laughed inwardly at the look he gave her. Could it be that hanging around him was actually fun? What exactly was he anyway, a friend? They spent a lot of time together and it was obvious to her that in that short amount of time, she was the only one that he heavily conversed with, but then again it was the same for her. She didn't talk to anybody except him, and Commander Denning, but he didn't' really count.

She began to ponder these thoughts as she left the building when she suddenly saw Commander Denning approaching her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Condiotti and MVW for your kind reviews!**

Commander Denning greeted Sarah with a warm smile, his grey eyes sparkling in contrast to his dark hair and moustache. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, and Sarah had to admit that she was growing fond of the Commander, he was so kind and warm, he represented a kind of fatherly figure in the absence of her real father to her.

"Cadet, how are you faring this evening?"

She was practically gushing as she waved her PADD around. "I'm doing great! I Just got done programming something for the holodeck, I'm so excited to see what you think of it! I have to forewarn you though; this is not for training purposes, this is leaning more towards.."

"Recreation?" He added for her.

"YES! I mean; the people traveling aboard starships need a mode of recreation, why not with a holodeck? It seems to make perfect sense to me."

"I agree." He said smiling. This took Sarah off guard for she thought that he too would take on a same view point as Zareth had.

"And I had guessed someone like you would've come up with such a creative idea. We can test it out, but only if you agree to let me buy you dinner, there is no sense in working on an empty stomach."

Sarah smiled. "Great!" She said, but as he turned around and strode off purposefully, the more conservative side of Sarah began to speak to her.

_"Is it really wise to be seen eating with a Commander in public? What will people say?_"  
>And the truth was, it wasn't uncommon to see a Commander and a Cadet together, why did she just think that then?<br>She decided to push these thoughts from her mind, she was intent on enjoying the evening, telling the Commander of her thoughts and ideas for later on programming a series of recreational activities.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Zareth had no desire to study this evening. In reality he didn't need to for he was caught up in all of his assignments and had already studied well in advance for the upcoming chapters in all of his classes. The evening would've been better suited to stay in his quarters to meditate but he had somehow ended up going to the lab anyway.

It was growing into a day to day habit to simply go there and converse with Cadet Williams. He noted that she was speaking more and more to him, and he found this agreeable. The moment where she walked in, her emerald eyes gleaming with purpose did something to his anatomy that caused concern but he didn't wish to push the desire away. He kept it under control and found that it lingered within his depths whenever she looked at him, or smiled, even more so when she'd laugh at something he'd say. There were times he didn't understand certain things and even moments when she'd stop talking to him for which he had come to understand that this meant he had said something inappropriate or not to her liking. She was patient with him regardless of this and after her emotional interlude had calmed, she would explain what he had said or done.

They were now acquainted enough with each other that he would sometimes intentionally say something he knew was not altogether true for she did this too and it was what she called "Teasing." She seemed to be doing this more frequently with him and right now the "Teasing" Had to do with his denying that she was in fact smart.  
>He knew that she was. She was actually the smartest and most dedicated cadet he had come across so far but for the sake of this "teasing" she seemed to enjoy; he never admitted and said the opposite.<p>

The truth was that he enjoyed being around her and he found that he was intentionally seeking the physical response his body gave when he was around her, and even though this was something he knew he should be concerned about; he had no true desire to make it stop. It might not have been logical but what could it hurt if nobody knew about it other than himself?

The best thing to do in such a situation was to continue to act as he normally did for he had a goal to reach while he was on earth and he really didn't have the luxury to get side tracked by anything else, but at the same time he logically concluded that spending time with the human wouldn't inflict on his plans.

Having decided that there was no reason to stay in the lab; he gathered his things and took off in the direction of the cafeteria. He had not had nourishment since early that morning, and he did not particularly feel like taking part in nutritional preparation in his quarters.

As he opened the door to the cafeteria, he was instantly hit with the sounds of people conversing. When he had first arrived on campus, this had disturbed him, but he found that as time went on; he could tolerate it some what now. He estimated that by the time he got in line, paid credits for his food, and sat down to eat; it would consume about 17 minutes and 24 seconds. This was suitable so he grabbed a tray and waited in line.

There was a palatable looking vegetarian pasta dish which he quickly ordered as well as a mango juice. He had been introduced to the flavors of mango only a short while ago and found it to be pleasing in both taste and texture.  
>He paid his credits and looked upon the sea of people seated within the cafeteria, but something in particular stood out to him, and that was Cadet Williams conversing with Commander Denning.<p>

He observed them and tried to assess the situation. Sarah seemed to be animatedly speaking to him, no doubt trying to convince him of the pros on her new idea for using the holodeck in recreational means; he would never accept the idea if he saw the illogical aspects of it as he had, and yet as he observed the Commander, he realized that maybe they were in fact speaking of something entirely different.

When Sarah had changed her line of vision from the commander to her food, he saw that the commander continued to look at her in a wanting fashion that was customary to a male who was in pursuit of a female for procreation purposes. Suddenly he felt as if he was invading and began to walk towards another direction, maybe it would be wise to not disturb them.

"Zareth!, Is that you?" He heard the familiarity of her voice, he turned around; eyebrow raised.

"Who else would it be?" he answered, and then remembering their teasing added: "And the number has just increased to 368.59 for making such a statement." He was pleased to see when she laughed heartily at his response.

"Please come and join us!" She said and patted the seat next to her. He then looked over at Commander Denning who seemed to not look as inviting but then looked at him. "Come on cadet, we don't bite." He then smiled, it looked forced and insincere but he did not want to displease Sarah so he made his way to the seat next to her.

She quickly looked over at his plate. "What did you get?"

"The Vegetarian Pasta dish." He replied as he unwrapped his cutlery.

"Oh, I got the same thing, minus the cheese." She said as her emerald eyes opened up .01287 centimeters more than normal.

"You do not consume meat?" He asked.

"No, I'm a Vegan actually."

At this news, Zareth could not stop himself from raising his eyes in surprise. Commander Denning was watching them interact all the while and he began chuckling.

"Why Cadet Williams, you have to ability to get emotional reactions even from a Vulcan."

Zareth did not appreciate in the way the Commander said this. He looked at him as he continued to chuckle, to him it seemed in a mock fashion.

"It was not emotional, it was a legitimate reaction considering that only 12.4% of the human population have consorted to a Vegan diet despite studies that show it is the best way to elongate one's life as well as to live it out in the most healthy and energetic manner."

He then looked at Sarah who was merely looking at her food. "Why have you chosen this mode of eating?"

Sarah looked at him and smiled warmly. "My aunt was the one who got me into it. She just started sending me articles of the many health benefits and I thought I would try it out and I realized that I started to feel better, my skin and hair looked better; I had more energy and I decided to stick with it. It was not easy at first, and there are times that I admit I cheat when I get cravings for pizza or ice cream but for the most part, I prefer it now."

"Your aunt is very wise." Zareth replied as he began to eat.

Commander Denning looked at his plate, observing the left over pieces of his roast beef when he smirked and said: "Well, there are those of us who figure that you might as well eat and drink well since our time here is not guaranteed. I hate to think that my last meal on earth would be a plate of rabbit food.

"Forgive me for not agreeing with you Commander," Zareth cut in. "but studies show that the mind and body work at it's optimum when given the most adequate diet and nutrition. As a high ranking officer, and instructor; wouldn't it be logical that you seek the best means to supply the highest educational experience to your students?"

Sarah was looking between the commander and Zareth, her head turning back and forth. She could tell that the commander was annoyed with the Vulcan. She could actually hear his teeth grinding. Was it wrong that the whole situation made her want to burst out laughing? She had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from doing so.

"Adequate diet and nutrition doesn't stop freak accidents from happening to people either on land or out in space. I could be sent out on a mission tomorrow and I have no guarantee that I'll have a safe return home. I enjoy my diet. I enjoy going to my brother's house sometimes on the weekend and firing up the grill and cooking up delicious steaks and drinking them down with a beer. I don't hurt anyone, and as for supplying the highest education experience to my students, I believe that working twelve to fourteen hours, six days a week is dedication enough to what I do."

Sarah looked over at Zareth who she could tell was getting ready to retaliate with some sort of Vulcan logic as he was already opening his mouth. Sarah suddenly pulled out her PADD and showed it to the commander.

"So! Do you think we can go see how this works? I'm dying to try it out!"

The commander who was still red-faced and just starting to get worked up took a moment before he turned to Sarah. Seeing her smiling face made his annoyance fade away.

"As you wish Cadet." He then looked over at the Vulcan who had gone back to eating his meal. "Cadet Zareth, you are welcome to come join us once you're done eating."

He seemed to think this through before answering: "Thank You; I graciously accept the invitation."

He then looked over at Sarah who gave him a "Sorry about this." Look before she gathered her things and left with the commander.

He really didn't know why he had just accepted. He found that he did not get along very well with the commander, and he really should spend his remaining free time in meditation. Especially since he didn't really agree with Sarah's whole "Holodeck's should serve a recreational purpose" theory. Something however didn't sit right in the idea of them being alone together in the holodeck lab. It would be logical to go there and make sure everything was alright. Yes, completely logical.**  
><strong>

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

When Zareth arrived at the lab, he found Sarah furiously typing while the commander was leaning close (too close for his liking) behind her.

"That's looking very impressive cadet, but why not add marine life to it?"

"I thought about it, I might add a couple of clown fishes and maybe a dolphin or two; no dangerous marine life obviously." She replied.

"Where's your sense of adventure cadet?" He replied jokingly.

"I tell you what commander, when you enter the holodeck by yourself, you are more than welcome to add in any kind of dangerous marine life you wish; great whites and all, but not when I go in."

The commander began to chuckle and he patted her on the back. When Zareth saw that his hands were automatically lowering down towards her waist, he decided now was a good time to make his presence known.

"Is the recreational program ready to be tested?" He asked.

Sarah turned around and smiled.

"It is, you ready to see awesomeness in all it's glory?"

Zareth raised an eyebrow. " 369.62 the numbers just keep adding up cadet Williams" She laughed and replied. "Don't be jealous of my skills."

"370.71…." He mumbled.

The commander cleared his throat. "I really have no idea what you two are going on about, but if we could get going with the task at hand…"

"Ok, ok," Sarah said as she keyed in codes, then the doors to the holodeck room opened and they all stepped inside and instantly they were surrounded by blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Zareth realized that it was harder to walk on the ground and upon looking down towards his feet, he realized that they were walking on sand. Yes, there were sandy beaches for miles. The waters were a clear turquoise and every so often you could hear the call of seagulls. Sarah quickly took off her shoes and began to run along the shore line.

Zareth stood and observed her for he had never seen her so carefree before. Maybe this is what she meant by 'relaxing' and 'pristine waters' The environment was extremely agreeable and reminiscent of a tropical island. He personally would not mind spending some time here and he suddenly began to realize that Sarah's idea was not so illogical.

She was now throwing rocks at a coconut palm tree. The rocks would hit one of the coconuts but it only shook slightly.

"Allow me to be of assistance." He said as he picked up a rock and threw it towards the coconut. He used just enough of his strength to detach the coconut but not break it and as soon as the rock made contact; it made a soft 'thud' sound as it fell and landed on the sand.

"Show off." Sarah mumbled.

"Talented would be the more appropriate word." He replied knowing it would get her into an emotional state. If he was fortunate enough, she would flash him with that wondrous stare he was becoming so fond of.

"And humble as well apparently." She added. It seemed she was following along rather than getting 'riled up' as she called it.

All the while the commander was watching them. It was curious to see how attentive the Vulcan behaved towards cadet Williams. He had never seen them interact with humans in such a way although his experience around Vulcans had been very limited. There was Commander Spock but he had to admit that he had never really gotten along with him. His manner had been cold and very 'to the point'. He wondered if he was like this with all humans or just her and the thought of this made him grind his teeth.

They were now trying to open the coconut, hitting it against a rock. "No cadet Williams, that is not the most appropriate way, you have to look for the weakest point and then apply the correct amount of pressure."

"If you do that, the whole coconut will crumble to pieces." She replied sounding irritated.

The commander approached them. "We're here on the most gorgeous beach imaginable to man or… woman in this case, and you guys are arguing over the most appropriate way to open a coconut?"

"I was just demonstrating.." Zareth began when Sarah suddenly grabbed it out of his hands and struck the coconut against the rock. The top part flew off leaving behind the water and white flesh.

She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "You were saying?"

He took the coconut she handed him and then looked at her. His face remained emotionless of course but Sarah could tell that he had the "You win this round." Look on his face. He then looked up at the commander and offered it to him. "Coconut Commander?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Things take an interesting turn in this chapter…**

**I do not own Zelda or Star Trek.**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Approximately a month after Sarah had initially tested her recreational program; A lot of things had been added. When the concept of this was introduced to the other people that were working on the project, they accepted it as a possibility but it wasn't until they actually experienced the holodeck themselves that it quickly became all the rage.  
>Sarah was then being pulled left and right to work with different teams of people and it wasn't long before plans for other recreational programs were to be constructed.<p>

There was a particular team that wanted to test the concept of turning the holodeck into an interactive video game where instead of manipulating a character on screen, they themselves would be the characters. The team consisted of Cadet Sanders, Olsen, and Majal. They were what one would call, 'die hard gamers' and their expertise in this field surpassed even that of Sarah's but they still included her in their meetings since she added a creative twist. Commander Denning would sometimes come around and oversee their progress but for the most part he was keeping busy these days with an assignment that had been formulated and this took him out of planet ocassionaly to Talus 4. There were times where he wasn't even in class and they'd bring in a substitute, it really wasn't the same.

"If you're going to make a forest temple, you should add a lot more greenery, all you have now is a couple of tree's; it looks lame." Sarah said at one point. 

"Blunt as always Sarah." Olsen replied. "I'm not really good at that stuff though, would you do it? It's all we need before we test it out."

"You guys knock yourselves out; I don't know if I like the idea of being attacked by creatures."

Sanders gave her a wide eyed stare. "You know better than anyone that it's not real, and anyway; you have to play with us, you helped create it, its only fair. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Sarah smiled. "Fine, but I can't today, it'll have to wait till tomorrow."

"That's fine, we have to tie up some loose ends on what weapons will be used." Majal said as he was still typing.

"You guys are sure this is safe right?" Sarah asked.

"Of course!" Olsen replied. "You'll see for yourself tomorrow.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah walked into the study lab. It was Thursday and this was the first time she had been to the lab all week. It would be easy to let this new holodeck frenzy interfere with her studies but she made it a point not to let that happen, still; she was not as regular in the lab room as she once was.  
>Upon entering; Zareth quickly turned towards her. "Cadet Williams, I trust you are well."<p>

"I am, how have you been?" She asked as she pulled out a seat and sat down facing him.

"I am well. You have not been present all week; I began to suspect that you might have fallen ill."

"No, nothing like that. The gaming team has me involved in their project and tomorrow we're going to test it. I have to admit I'm a little nervous."

Zareth slanted his head. "Why? This is not the first time you have been in a holodeck, by now I would think that you are accustomed."

"No, no.. it's different; completely different. They've programmed the deck to be like a video game and they're the characters. So these creatures that cadet Majal designed are going to be attacking us and trying to stop us from reaching our goal, so we have to fight them."

"The images cannot hurt you." Zareth added.

"I know, but still; it'll be uneasy for me being approached by some ghastly looking creatures all the time. It's not really my idea of fun, but they're tickled pink by the idea."

"Tickled pink?"

"It means, they love the idea."

Zareth seemed to think about this. "This has taken up a lot of your time."

"It has." Sarah said as she pulled a strand of her hair that had come lose behind her ear. He watched as she did this, totally transfixed. It had been too long since he had the pleasure of speaking to her. She took no notice of this however for she was already mentally exhausted and thinking about all the stuff she still had to do.

"I should go study now." She said getting up to move to her usual work station. She was already pushing the chair back in place when Zareth said: "I could accompany you if it will lessen your nervousness."  
>She stopped and then turned around. "Would you really? but you've been saying all this time that the recreational concepts are illogical."<p>

"Be as it may, It would not be conducive to a creative environment if you feel ill at ease."

"And you wont feel this way yourself?"

"No, my mind already knows that the images are not real, they will have no effect on me."

"Wow," Sarah said in amazement. "I wish I had your ability; thank you." She was looking at him intensely and Zareth realized for the first time that he was having trouble keeping his usual longing in check. He wanted to walk over to her and reassure her in another manner, but he quickly shook the idea out of his mind and turned back to his work.

"We are doing this tomorrow at 1600 hours, I hope the time is ok for you."

"It is, I will arrive at the appropriate time." He said without looking up from his work.

Sarah continued to look at him for a moment feeling gratefulness towards him. He really didn't have to go out of his way to do this for her and yet here he was volunteering just so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. It almost seemed caring and emotional. She smiled wondering what he'd say if she called him out on it but decided she would just keep it to herself.

For the first time, he was the one who began to pack up to leave before she did.  
>"You're leaving already?" She asked.<p>

"Yes, I require meditation."

"Ok, so I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will." He said as he looked up at her, she graced him with a genuine smile. "Have a good night."  
>'Yes, I definitely need to meditate' he thought as he felt himself swallowing hard. With a nod towards her; he swiftly left the lab, desperately seeking mental peace and stability.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoO

As promised, Zareth was at the holodeck lab with the gaming team. He merely observed with his hands behind his back as the others were anxiously talking about what their hopes for the program would be when Sarah came running in.

"Sorry guys! I lost track of time."

"Brushing up on your fencing skills were you? Don't worry Sarah you can be one of the healers or something that doesn't involve holding anything sharp."

"You did program the wardrobe accordingly didn't you?" Olsen asked Majal "Yeah man, but I'm programming one extra since Zareth is joining us. No worries, it'll be a piece of cake."

Sarah put her bag away and walked over to Zareth. "I see you didn't change your mind."

"I promised I would be here. I never go back on my word."

"I'm glad; I owe you one." She said warmly.

"Think nothing of it." He replied.

The conversation was cut short when Sanders got up and started giving directions. "OK Gaming Nerds, here's the run down. We're going to enter the holodeck and if everything goes accordingly; we'll be outside of the forest temple. This is our take on the 21st century Zelda game so that means we'll stumble across villains along the way. We should be equipped with the proper clothing as well as weapons and supplies. It should take forty five minutes to reach the temple boss but if we all stick together and help each other out it might take less time. Questions?"

"How do we know what character we are in the game?" Sarah asked.

"We don't know until we get inside, the computer will automatically decide, except for you Sarah; I made sure it recognized the only female as a healer."

"Thank You." She replied.

"If that's all, then let's get to it!" Sanders said and clapped his hands. The rest of the guys cheered and mumbled jokes to one another as they entered the deck. Sarah looked over wearily at Zareth who in turn gave her a nod. "Everything will be alright."

"Yeah." She said as she exhaled.

They stepped in and once the computer recognized each individual, their wardrobes changed instantly. Sarah had on a long light blue tunic that reached her ankles with gold and orange embroidery on the sleeves and her hair was loose. She had on these pointy shoes that matched her tunic and had a long gold necklace with some sort of symbol on it. She also carried a satchel that had some bottles of water and pieces of cloth.

Zareth wore something akin to a knights outfit. He had silver armor covering his whole body except his hands and head. He had a sword, shield, and a bow with arrows.

Olsen, Sanders, and Majal had breeches with long waist length tunics. Olsens was red, Sanders was blue, and Majal was green. Each carried a sword and a shield.

Upon seeing each other, they all burst out laughing. Olsen pointed at Sarah's shoes: "Hey twinkle toes, don't dirty your pretty little shoes." 

"Shut up Olsen, you're lucky these feet don't end up... What the hell? Sarah felt something breeze by her. She looked behind her and on the ground was an arrow. She looked at her arm and she saw that the arrow had ripped through part of the sleeve and scratched her enough to produce some blood.  
>She looked up at Olsen wide eyed. "I thought these were all images, why am I bleeding?" Before he could answer, it seemed like a shower of arrows were being shot at their direction.<p>

"TAKE COVER!" One of the guys shouted, and before Sarah knew what was happening, Zareth had scooped her off her feet and was running towards the side entrance of the temple.  
>Small dark creatures wearing green frocks were hopping towards the guys who remained standing and covering themselves with their shields. They pulled out small swords and began waving them around. Their aim was poor but it was still alarming to think what a stab from that would do to you.<br>The guys pulled out their swords and after two hits, the creatures disappeared.  
>Sarah looked up at Zareth in alarm and realized she was still holding on to him with an iron grip. He was looking at the other group as if in awe of what was happening.<p>

Afterwards, he looked down at Sarah and asked: "Are you alright?" As he let her go. "Yeah I'm fine, but I still got injured." She said showing him the bleeding scratch. "I don't think these are just images Zareth." He looked at her but said nothing for he knew what she had feared had come to be.

The other guys had now joined them. "This is kind of fun!" Olsen exclaimed.

"You're either crazy or stupid Olsen, look what happened! What's to say it wont happen again! We need to get out of here." Sarah replied hotly.

"But.." began Sanders.

"I agree" Zareth interrupted. "Given to what just happened to Cadet Williams, I believe it is not worth risking any further injuries or mishaps."

"Fine!" barked Olsen. He turned around and yelled: "Computer, end program!"

The program should've shut down in that instant and revealed a black room with horizontal yellow lines but this did not happen.

Sarah now becoming frantic yelled: "Computer, END PROGRAM!" but again nothing happened.  
>Sarah turned, her eyes flashing in fury. "Who the hell messed around with the damn program, I did not do this!"<p>

All of them except Zareth had shocked looks, all were silent except for Majal who appeared like he was going to be sick. Sarah's eyes went wide again. "It was you, when you programmed the additional outfit."

"Really it's your fault for having brought your boyfriend along. Everything was mapped out until he arrived." Majal replied nervously.

Sarah ran towards him and grabbed him by the collar, effectively shoving him against the wall. "Don't you dare, blame him for this! It's not his fault that you're an incompetent programmer!"

"I was in a hurry and I guess I must've done something... I swear that I didn't think anything like this would happen….

"But it did, and now we're stuck in a program with real weapons and real chance of dying you idiot!" Sanders yelled as he too pushed him hard against the vine covered wall.

"We solve nothing by arguing with each other. The logical solution is to establish another way to end the program." Zareth said calmly.

"We have to win the game." Olsen said. "That's how it is originally programmed, except now it's not a game."

Sarah went pale and she swallowed hard. It was as if her fears were coming to life. Cowering about it would serve no purpose; they had to get out of this alive one way or another.  
>"How do we get in?" She asked. "There are villains on the other side shooting arrows."<p>

"We silently creep up from behind them." Sanders said.

"Or I can just shoot them with my arrow at a safe distance." Zareth said.

They all agreed and silently walked around the temple and towards the opposite corner where as suspected, two wolf looking creatures were standing and looking from side to side for intruders. Zareth silently lifted his bow and targeted the first creature. He took aim and let the arrow shoot the first one. He immediately grabbed another arrow and shot the other that was now headed towards their direction. Once the arrow shot them, they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Everything fell silent except for the jungle background music that was playing; Sarah hadn't even realized it up until that point. Everything really was as if they were in a real life game. They walked past the place where the wolves had been, their feet crunching on the dead leaves and twigs from the various plant life that surrounded them.

Before going to the entrance of the temple, Zareth turned around and faced everyone. "I will go ahead first to make sure the coast is clear, then we can all enter the temple. Is this agreeable to everyone?" The guys all nodded but Sarah jumped in front of them. "Like hell you're going alone, I'm coming with you!"

"This is unadvisable seeing as how you currently have no weapons." He didn't wait to hear her reply, he quickly ran towards the entrance, his sword drawn and his shield up. He climbed the steps to the entrance and as he approached the door, a large spider looking creature jumped out and pushed him so hard that he fell backwards, the loud clattering of his armor could be heard and Sarah let out a gasp. The spider was approaching him, but he got up in time and had his sword drawn. In one smooth movement, Zareth lunged forward and stabbed the giant spider in the midsection. In screamed in agony and fell backwards.

Olsen began yelling: "Stab it again! It hasn't disappeared, that means it's still alive!" Zareth was about to lunge again when the spider got up and jumped in the air. Zareth held up his shield and with his strength pushed the spider with such force that it got knocked against the entrance door and this time it did disappear in a cloud of yellow smoke.

Sarah was the first to run out. "Zareth are you alright? Did it hurt you?"

"I am unharmed." He replied. "We need to hurry if we are going to get out." Sarah continued to look at him as if assessing if he was telling the truth. He seemed disheveled but otherwise ok, so she nodded and tried to open the front door.

"I cannot believe the damn door is locked!" She said as she tried to open it.

"Break everything in sight." Olsen said. "The key is hidden somewhere."

Sarah wasted no time and immediately began smashing vases and potted plants. While the others began searching through the bushes near the entrance. Sarah slammed the last potted plant against the floor and a silver key appeared. "I found it!" She cried as she picked it up off the ground and used it to open the door.

"I shall go in first" Zareth began.

"NO! We go in together!" Sarah said hotly as she swung open the door. Revealed to them was a vast opening with dozens of rooms scattered around. Some of them had padlocks, some of them didn't. There were vines and shrubs all over the place, and sounds of creatures hissing and lurking about. Sarah took a step forward and Zareth did the same, prepared to attack if anything approached her. Instead, once their feet hit the ground; the floor gave way and they disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah felt herself falling through a tunnel that was so dark that she couldn't' even make out her surroundings. All she knew was that she was falling and this could very well be the end. The shock of it was so intense that she hadn't even screamed, and then she heard a splash and she was suddenly engulfed in a body of water.

A few seconds later she saw that Zareth landed with a splash not far from her, but before she could think about swimming over to him, she saw various fins swimming towards them and she instantly pushed herself towards Zareth and grabbed him by his armor for he didn't seem to be conscious. The armor weighed a ton and she was swimming towards the edge at slow speeds. "Please Zareth, wake up!" She tried to yell but instead ended up swallowing water. The edge was coming up close but the fins were only a few feet away. She quickly swam with all her might and pushed herself out of the water quickly before grabbing for Zareth, but push as she might, he was not budging.  
>She was desperately tapping his face, while looking at the fins that were already circling him. They were tiny piranha looking fish with razor sharp teeth. A couple of them were at his feet, while another group of them were giving his armor a go.<p>

"Please Zareth, WAKE UP!" She was slapping harder now, and he was finally rousing out of his unconscious state.

He suddenly looked up at her in shock, gasping as he realized he was in a body of water. "Zareth, jump out! I can't do it alone." She said as she grabbed one of his arms.  
>He pushed himself forward and effectively rolled onto the edge. Some of the fish jumped out with him and were now flopping around on the grass.<p>

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked in alarm looking him over. "You were unconscious, did you hit your head?"

"I am well." He said as he sat up from the ground, but then flinched as he tried to get up off the ground.

"You are not well; stay sitting for a moment." She said as she looked him over. "The weight of my armor plus the speed in which we landed into the water was too forceful for my left ankle, I believe I have sprained it."  
>Sarah looked around for her satchel, maybe that stupid water would be good for something, but upon reaching near the waist of her tunic, she realized it was no longer with her.<p>

"My satchel, I must've lost it during the fall. Some healer I turned out to be." She mumbled.

"I would advise you not think about that at this time, we still have to figure out how to reach this..."

"The boss." She added as she knelt down beside him, her wet hair slapping itself against her neck and cheek. She gave him a sorrowful look as her eyes began to water. "I'm so sorry about all this, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be like this now."

Zareth looked at her, he did not like to see her distressed. "It is not your fault, and I am glad that I came for if I hadn't, you would now be alone."

"Still." She said, "Because of this ordeal, you have injured yourself."

"It will heal." He said simply and she smiled warmly at him. "I love your optimism, I could learn a lot from it."

She then scooted closer to him and wrapped herself under his arm. "I will help you up." She said.

"It really isn't ne... If you insist." He finally said when he saw her determination. Once he was up, she let go of him. "Are you able to walk alright?"

He limped around at first but gradually he took better steps. "It is slightly painful, but nothing I cannot handle. We should look for a way to advance out of here." He said looking around.  
>They had apparently fallen into a pool of muddy water. Towards the right there were some vines that climbed up to an entry way, and to the left was a door. Sarah noticed that the music that was playing had changed. It sounded a lot like tribal tune with the sounds of people making animal-like calls, it reminded her of the ancient indian tribes that once existed on Earth.<p>

"Shall we check to see if the door is open?" She asked. Zareth looked around one more time before nodding. "That seems like the most suitable choice right now." As Sarah was approaching though, a creature that looked like a plant suddenly sprung to life and knocked her backwards. Zareth instantly pulled out his sword and slashed it from behind. The plant froze up and then turned into a giant lifeless wooden cane.

"Sarah are you?..."

Sarah hastily got on her feet, her face was flushed and her emerald eyes were flaming in fury. "I am so sick and tired of being knocked around by these damn! Did you just call me Sarah?"

Zareth blinked a few times and opened his mouth to speak but then closed it.  
>She smiled at him. "I had wondered when you were going to stop referring to me as Cadet Williams."<p>

"I thought it would be ill proper to refer to you in any other way."

"But we're friends, why wouldn't you call me Sarah?"

"Friends.." Zareth said more to himself than to her.

"Yeah, I consider you my friend, I hope you consider me one."

He then looked at her and if she didn't know any better, she'd swear that he had just smiled.

"I would like to consider you as such." He replied. Funny how his voice had changed, maybe Vulcans were not accustomed to having friends. He was also turning a curious shade of green around his ears, but now was not the time to ask; they could talk about it at a later time.

" I need a weapon, I can't keep wandering around so helplessly." She stomped towards where the plant was, and looked down on the ground. She quickly knelt down and picked up the giant cane. She swung it around in the air and lunged forward with it as if it were a sword.  
>Zareth could not help but notice how her tunic clung to her form in it's current wet state. He forced himself to look away, his task now was to ensure their safety return, not think about other physical matters.<br>"This will have to do for now." She said.

They reached the door and they both looked at each other and then nodded. Sarah turned the knob and this time it wasn't locked. She pushed it so that it could swing open and then held onto her newly acquired weapon as if her life depended on it. Zareth took a careful step forward and Sarah followed behind him. It was not a very big room and the walls were covered completely with vines. At the very end of the room was a small treasure chest and to the right were various vases and potted plants.

Sarah eyed the treasure chest wearily. "It could be a trap if we open it."  
>"Or it could be something we need." He countered.<p>

"Ok, I open it, and you stand guard since you have the sword." Zareth seemed to think about this but then nodded. "Agreed, I shall be prepared."

Sarah carefully crept up the small treasure chest and using her foot, she easily flipped the lid. She ducked instantly, afraid that something would try to strike her again, but nothing happened. After waiting a few seconds she peered into the open chest and gasped: "It's another key!"  
>She picked it up and unhooked the long gold necklace she was wearing so that she slipped the loop of the key into the chain and then hooked it around her neck again.<br>"So that it doesn't get lost." She said when saw Zareth looking at her. "I agree, logical thinking."

"That's probably the first compliment I've heard from you, and it took being stuck in a video game literally fighting for our lives to hear it."

"Quite. I must've injured myself more than I realized." He said.

Sarah harrumphed as she strode towards the exit of the room, but as she approached, the door swung shut and locked itself. Out of nowhere, a large lizard with a small sword jumped out and swung towards Sarah, in that instant she picked up her wooden cane and blocked the hit, she then lunged it in the mid-section where it almost fell backwards but it used it's tail to spring itself back up towards her again, but Zareth blocked her and struck him so forcefully that the lizard disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, leaving behind it's small sword and shield. Music began to chime loudly and the door unlocked and opened itself.

Sarah threw her wooden stick to the side and picked up the small sword and shield that the lizard had left behind.  
>"Let's go" She called to Zareth as she ran with her newly acquired items out of the room. They were once again outside looking around.<p>

"Where do we go now?" She asked.  
>"Do you see up there?" He said as he pointed to where the vines led to the entry way. "It could be assumed that beyond the entry way is a door, and that is why we needed to acquire the key."<p>

"Are you ok to climb?"

"It is not a far climb, I should be alright."

"You go first, just in case you fall I'll be there to catch you."  
>He raised his eyebrow at her and gave her his: 'I'm not amused' stare before he started to climb. "Use caution, the vines have..."<p>

"OUCH!" Sarah yelled. "Thorns..." Zareth finished lamely.

"Was it necessary to program the greenery with such absolute detail?" He asked as he scarcely avoided slamming his hand on a two inch thorn.

"Absolutely! This was supposed to be only an image after all."

They reached the top and Zareth pulled her up once she was at the edge, they sat for a moment to catch their breaths.  
>"You are bleeding." He said as he looked at her oozing punctured hands.<br>"It looks worse than it really is. I'll be fine." She said as she was unhooking her chain and brought out the key. The entry gave way to a dark hallway and as they walked, a flutter of winged creatures began to fly above them.

"Oh My Gosh! Bats!" Sarah squealed. She ran towards the end of the hall and quickly slipped the key and unlocked the door. In her haste the get away from the bats, she used no caution when she entered but luckily there were no creatures there to greet them. It looked like the second level of the temple for they were standing on a balcony. They peered over to the first level and saw the door from which they had originally come in from.

"You can see the outline of the trap door from which we fell through." Zareth commented.

"I wonder where the other guys are?" Sarah whispered.  
>"It is safe to assume they can take care of themselves being that they probably have more knowledge with what they need to do." Zareth replied.<p>

"Hmm." Sarah said not totally believing they were able to take care of themselves. They walked further down and found another door. She looked up at him. "Are you ready?" He nodded, and she opened the door. The room was illuminated by many candles hanging from the walls, there were two large vases at the very center and nothing else. Once they stepped fully into the room, the door shut and locked itself, but nothing came out to attack them.

"I wonder what we are required to do.." Zareth asked.

"In the beginning, Olsen and the others said you had to smash things, I guess we should do the same now." She walked up and smashed the vase on the left with her sword while Zareth did the same to the other. There was another musical chime and a door appeared on the other side from where they had come in. Sarah looked down when she heard an unusual flurry of activity and saw a small orange and yellow bird like creature flapping it's wings around.

"Help me!" It cried out to her. Sarah's eyes grew wide and Zareth slanted his head. "Fascinating."

"Help me!" It cried again.

"What's wrong?" Sarah said and she knelt down. "Help find my mommy; please, please take me with you. Need to find my mommy."  
>Sarah was going to pick it up when Zareth grabbed her by the arm. "It could be another trap." He said harshly. He was so close to her that she could feel his heavy breathing. She looked up at him with her pleading eyes and smiled. "It's just a little baby Zareth, I think we can risk it just this once."<br>He still didn't seem all that convinced but seeing the warmth in her eyes had him letting go. "I do not wish for harm to befall you." He said gruffly.  
>Sarah said nothing but gave his gloved hand a gentle squeeze before letting go and reaching out to the small bird. It hopped into her hands and she cradled it carefully against her chest.<p>

"Mommy! Mommy!" It cried.

It then pecked the symbol that was hanging off the chain around her neck and vanished. Sarah took a step back and held her hands up in the air. "Where did it go?" She asked in alarm. The tiny voice called back to her from the symbol and as it spoke; the symbol around her neck began to glow. "Still here, this way it's easy for you to carry me. Please take me to my mommy!" Zareth could only look in amazement. "Fascinating."

OoOoOoOoOoO

They had exited the room and it had led them up a spiraling staircase that seemed to go on forever. Sarah stopped at one point when she saw that Zareth cringed slightly. She worried that he might've had more serious injury than he was leading to believe, she was frustrated at the fact that there was nothing she could do for him. She leaned against the railing. "Zareth, how long do you estimate we've been here?"

"Roughly three hours, and fourteen minutes." Sarah's stomach seemed to protest at the news for it chose at that time to growl loudly. "Sorry" She said patting her stomach.

"When was the last time you had nourishment?"

"This morning, you?"

"I ate something at around 1300 hours, but I too am hungry. It would not be advisable to eat anything here."

"No, I wouldn't. We'll just have to keep going. This stupid game has to end at some point."

The top of the staircase was in view now but there were sounds coming from the top. Sarah instantly took a firmer hold of her sword and shield, while Zareth did the same. Once they reached the top, the saw a giant eye floating in mid air. It was spinning around slowly until it detected them. It began to tremble violently and then a ray of fire flashed towards their direction.

"Hold up your shield!" Zareth yelled.

Sarah instantly covered herself and dodged towards the floor. The eye unable to detect her began to fire at Zareth, but he quickly covered himself with his shield.  
>"Crawl on the floor Zareth! Otherwise it'll continue to detect you!"<p>

He fell unceremoniously to the ground, his armor making a loud noise that made the floor tremble. Sarah began to crawl down the path, and the eye continued to rotate as it had before. Zareth followed behind until they were a good distance from the eye.  
>"Do you think it's safe to stand?" She asked him.<p>

He looked at her and then over at the eye. He carefully raised his sword high up into the air, but the eye continued to spin calmly.

"It appears to be safe to stand now."

They did and Sarah quickly made a run for it; Zareth tried to do the same but he cringed in pain and crashed against the wall. Sarah turned around and gasped. "I think your ankle is more than sprained Zareth, allow me to assist you."

"I assure you that is not necessary." He protested as he moved away from her reach.

"Are all Vulcans this stubborn? What's the big deal? You let me help you before!"

"That is a human emotion." He retorted.

"And you are displaying it at it's finest right now."

Despite his protest, she wrapped herself under his arm again, he continued to try and turn away but all this caused was for her to grip tighter to him. "You're really going to waste your energy fighting me?" She asked.

Her hand accidentally brushed itself against the back of his neck that was exposing his skin, and although she had felt nothing when she touched his face during his unconscious state before, now she felt a flash of something so powerful that she couldn't even determine what it was and since she was unaware of the touch telepathy that Vulcans possessed, she assumed this was a warning against her.  
>She quickly backed away from him, her emerald eyes wide in shock. Memories of past rejection passed through her mind, particularly that her of ex-boyfriend. She figured that he too found her repulsive and that was why he didn't want her touching him. Plus there was the fact that she was human and it was possible that he thought her inferior to him and close contact was unthinkable, she had not considered this before but it made sense to her now.<p>

She took a deep breath and tried to hold back her tears, it would definitely not do to start crying right now. Zareth saw her reaction and sunk deeper against the wall. "Sarah, I ..."

"Forget it. You win; I wont try to help you again, let's just get out of here."

"I did not mean to upset you."

She turned around roughly, the hurt in her eyes replaced with anger. "What I feel is irrelevant right now; getting out of here is our main focus." She turned and stomped towards the end of the path. Zareth closed his eyes and sighed inwardly, she did not understand, and now was not the time to elaborate.

Sarah yanked open the door and apparently it was unlocked. In her fury she didn't even look around to see if danger lurked. The room was filled from top to bottom with plant life. Vines, bushes, beds of violet flowers. One of the flowers came to life and tried to push her but she dodged it and sliced it from the root. It froze and turned into one of the wooden canes like it had previously. Zareth had caught up to her by now and looked around.

"There is nothing here." He said as he stood behind her. She did not reply but began walking around the room actually wanting something to come out at her so she could stab it to pieces. At the very end of the room, she saw a small body of water that was about nine feet deep and she could just make out the shape of another treasure chest below except this time it was much larger and looked to be made out of solid gold.  
>She snuck her hand down in the water and began to splash the water around to make sure there were none of those piranha fishes and apparently the coast was clear. Without even looking at Zareth, she dropped her small sword and shield before she dove into the small body of water and began to swim towards the chest. Zareth watched as she swam fast and efficiently, the symbol around her neck began to glow again and in that same instant, the treasure chest opened revealing a large golden key that was encrusted with rubies and emeralds that matched the color of Sarah's eyes. She grabbed it and swam quickly to the surface, taking a deep breath as she came to the surface. Zareth leaned forward to try to help her out but she had immediately used her hands to push herself out and simply ignored his gesture; she was still upset.<p>

"Now we just have to figure out what room this is for." She said without looking at him.

"Sarah.." He began. It may not be the most appropriate time, but seeing her act in this manner sat unwell.

In that instant, music chimed yet again and a door appeared within the room; a door with a gigantic golden lock at the very front. This time Sarah did turn to him with a smirk upon her lips. "I think we're finally getting out of here."

**Next Chapter is the conclusion of the game, but will commence the beginning of other things that will transpire.****  
><strong>**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed or added this story to their favorites.**


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah held the key in her hand and looked at him with purpose. They both knew what they needed to do at this time so without any further delay they made their way to the door. Right before they got there a mystical chime began to play and two small clay pots appeared before the door. Zareth raised an eyebrow. "Something else we need to break perhaps?"

Sarah nodded. "I think so too." And without further delay, she picked up her small sword and broke both pots with one swing.

One of them revealed a bottle with blue liquid. It had a label on it that said: "Drink me to gain power to fight against fire." Sarah read it aloud and then looked up at Zareth in alarm. "Fight fire? What do you think we have to go up against in there?"  
>He shook his head. "The possibilities are quite numerous, we will not be certain until we gain entry."<p>

She nodded but then looked down to see what was in the other ceramic pot. It was a small glowing pink ball and Sarah carefully knelt down in front of it to get a better look at it.  
>She looked it over from various angles until she recognized that the glow had wings.<p>

"Zareth I think this is a…"

Suddenly Sarah's symbol began to glow and then talk: "That is a faerie, it will heal you when you are close to death. Take it! Take it!" It cried out.

Sarah swallowed hard. "Close to death?"

"Figuratively speaking, ever since we have stepped foot into this game, we have always been close to death, this will be no different." Zareth said with the utmost calm and tranquility. Sarah could only look at him in amazement.

"This doesn't bother you then, you have no fear of what we're going to face when we walk in there then right?"

"That is not altogether true but it is illogical to embrace any such emotions for we will have to face whatever is in there at any rate if we are to successfully get out of the holodeck."

Sarah took a deep breath and tried to center herself. She knew he was right but she hated the fact that he was so calm about it.

"Right…" Sarah said as she put away the items in the pocket of her tunic.

She walked up to the lock and before putting in the key she looked up at Zareth. "Just in case one of us doesn't make it; it was nice getting to know you Zareth." She was about to place the key in when he put his hand over hers causing her to stop. She looked up into his eyes and saw a warmth she had not seen often.

"I will not allow harm to come to you."

Sarah smiled, not really sure what to say so she placed the key in the lock and turned. The door made an exaggerated creaking sound before it opened wide. They cautiously walked in but there was nothing in sight. Once they had advanced a few steps, the doors shut and locked of their own accord and there was a sudden flutter of activity towards the center of the room. A room which by the way was boiling hot and certain areas seemed to be singed as if caught within the mists of a great fire.

The flutter was being caused by a great red bird that was flying across the room; it had a lovely golden tail and landed softly in front of them. The moment that its feet hit the stone floor, Sarah's symbol glowed brightly and then there was a distinct 'pop' sound as the small bird reappeared and waddled over to the bigger bird.

"MOMMY! MOMMY!" It cried.

Zareth raised an eyebrow. "Extremely curious."  
>But right before the smaller bird made it way over to it's apparent mother; a loud horrifying cry shook the entire room in that instant.<p>

"What was that?" Sarah cried out. And as if to answer her question; A monstrous dragon looking bird that was probably ten times their size came out. It let out another horrifying cry while simultaneously breathing out a jet of fire.  
>Sarah let out a strangled cry. It was as if she had lost all feeling in her limbs and she fell back hard against the floor. Zareth was making his way towards her when suddenly the monster flipped its tail right in front of him so hard that the vibration sent Zareth flying backwards. Sarah got up instantly having heard the clash of armor.<p>

"ZARETH!" She cried out when she saw him lying on the ground, and as she was running towards him, the tail flipped towards her but she jumped high up into the air than was normally possible and dodged it. She whipped out her small sword and began stabbing the tail as hard as she could and the monster cried out in agony as the tail began to throb in a neon red color.

"That must be its weakness!" She cried out. She turned to her side to see that Zareth had his bow and arrow out and was now aiming at its tail before he began to shoot numerous arrows, all perfectly hitting the monster's tail in various areas.  
>It cried out in agony yet again and slammed itself against the walls, letting out ardent jets of fire that almost singed Sarah's lower half of the tunic at one point. Zareth fired a few more arrows that hit and this time instead of crying out in agony; it began to sing some kind of odd tune.<p>

"What's it doing?" Sarah asked.

And again as if answering her; giant bats began to flutter around them except that it wasn't like the bats they had encountered previously, these bats were biting her everywhere and the pain was intense. Sarah was crying out and waving her sword around, feeling as some of them began to drop but the number in which they were appearing was astounding. She waved the sword frantically in front of her so she could see where the monster was but as she was getting a clear view, she saw that it positioned itself to slam its tail again and this time the target was her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah was in total shock; this was the end.

She never had a chance to graduate from StarFleet, never knew what is was to fall in love with a decent man, never fulfilled her life long dream of visiting another planet no; it all ended now within the confines of a holodeck she helped create, such was life.

Just as the tail was approaching, she felt herself being pushed abruptly and then she heard the slam of the tail and the clatter of armor.  
>Her eyes grew wide with horror as she looked across and saw Zareth's lifeless form on the ground.<p>

"NOO!" She screamed in agony. This couldn't be real, there had to be a way where.. and then she remembered.

She dove towards him and with trembling hands fished out the glowing faerie. It fluttered around detecting Zareth and then began to spin around his body before completely disappearing and before Sarah could determine if that had worked or not, she felt the monster aiming again.  
>She quickly grabbed the bottle containing the blue liquid and downed it in one gulp before she picked up Zareth's sword and headed boldly towards the monster.<p>

Immediately Sarah began to feel different and although she didn't understand it; she didn't have the luxury to worry about it right now. She ran as fast as she could and realized that the speed in which she ran had increased astonishingly. In no time she was behind the monster, he having no idea where she had gone. She picked up the sword and in one slash completely dismembered the tail.

There was a horrifying scream that shook the room so badly that bits and pieces of the pillars and walls began to crumble to the ground. Everything was shaking to such an extent that Sarah thought they were all going to perish in that instant. Then she saw it; the monster was turning to stone. Starting from its legs all the way to it's large beak-like mouth that only breathed out smoke at this point, and then the now statue exploded in thousands of pieces.

Sarah had huddled over Zareth, covering him with her body as the pieces of stone flew everywhere, he was still unconscious and Sarah had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had been too late in releasing the faerie.

The shower of rock finally stopped and victorious music began to play.

"You won." She heard someone say. Sarah lifted her head and turned to Zareth who was still unconscious. She then gasped as she turned around and saw the two birds lying where the body of the monster had been.

The bigger one who was the mother began to speak: "Thank you for reuniting me with my child. You both showed the quality of bravery in its finest form."

"But… but…" Sarah began before she turned back to look at Zareth in horror.

"He has not perished." The bird continued. Then she tapped the floor twice before a blue light appeared in the very center of the room.

"This will take you back to your world, you must hurry."

"But… there are others.." Sarah started.

"They've already returned, you must take your friend and go now."

Sarah nodded and grabbed hold of Zareth and unlike the previous incident where they had fallen into the body of water and she could hardly get him to budge with his armor, she now could move him easily. She carried him to the center where they were totally and completely engulfed by light. She closed her eyes and the light got brighter and brighter. The last thing Sarah could remember hearing was "Thank You both."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Sarah came to, she was in sickbay lying on those terribly uncomfortable beds. Her head was hurting bad and her body ached as she tried to sit up. A man with bright blue eyes and a warm smile approached her.

"Finally up sleepy head?" He asked.

Sarah could only look at him in wonder.

"Name's Dr. Alda; Alan Alda. I'll be your physician for today."

All Sarah could do was put her hand on her head to try to alleviate her pain.

"Does your head hurt?" He quickly asked.

"Incredibly so doctor." She replied dully.

He quickly administered a shot and her headache vanished. She licked her dry lips and lied back down again. "Thank you. How long have I been here?"

"One day and three hours. You've been through quite an ordeal missy!"

"What about…. The rest.. "

"The others? Well the three colorful stooges came back relatively ok. They had cuts and bruises, one of them had a pretty bad gash and had to be stitched up but other then that they're ok; but the Vulcan.."

Her eyes grew wide and she swallowed hard instantly thinking the worst.

"He'll be fine, but he suffered a shattered ankle as well as a concussion to his head. It's weird though because he's been healing at an alarmingly fast rate, almost as if he's been receiving some kind of additional healing power."

"Where is he?" Sarah asked immediately.

"He's in the room next door because he had to undergo surgery for the ankle. In a few days he should be alright enough to be discharged. But as for you missy; you can leave as soon as I run some additional tests on you now that you're awake."

Sarah underwent the various tedious tests before the Dr. finally dismissed her. She immediately made her way to the room next door and carefully crept in. She quickly spotted Zareth lying on one of the beds. There was a nurse sitting nearby, she smiled warmly at her and then looked over at him.

"Hi, I'm nurse Condiotti, are you here to see him?"

"Yes." Sarah replied shyly. "How is he doing?"

"Well…" The nurse said as she got up and walked over to him. "He's been sleeping a lot, but surgery will do that. His body endured a lot of trauma but he's been healing so fast that in a few days he'll be good as new."

"Can I?" Sarah began.

"Oh sure!" The nurse said as she pulled up a chair and placed it beside where Zareth was lying.

"I've got to meet with Dr. Alda anyway so I'll give you guys some privacy, just be sure to give me a buzz before you leave."  
>Sarah nodded and the nurse turned and left. She looked over at Zareth's sleeping form and sighed loudly.<p>

"This is all my fault Zareth. None of this would've happened to you if it weren't for me. It almost seems like…. Anytime someone comes into my life, something seems to happen where in the end it's just better if I keep to myself. This way I don't hurt and nobody else hurts too."

She then looked over at him, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She smiled slightly.

"It's a shame too, you behaved like the perfect gentleman through and through even if there was that one time where you didn't want me near you. I wonder if… I wonder if you somehow knew this would happen and that's why you didn't want me near you."

She began to fiddle with her hands as if trying to make sense of what she was saying: "I guess in the end it's better for you if I just stay away." She leaned forward and looked carefully at the Vulcan's features, he wasn't really all that bad looking, and they had gotten along so well, it really was a shame things had to end this way.

Sarah's eyes began to water as she neared Zareth's face. She boldly let her hands gently graze the sides of his face and then she leaned forward unsure at first but then assuredly pressed her lips against his unresponsive ones. She stayed staring at him for a moment before backing away from him.

"Goodbye Zareth" She whispered before turning away and buzzing for the nurse.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It had been four days since the holodeck incident and Zareth saw nothing of Sarah.

She wasn't going to the study lab, she wasn't at the library, Zareth had even wandered into the cafeteria even though he wasn't intentionally going to eat anything on various occasions just to see if he would run into her but he had no success. It was as if she had simply dropped off the radar.

He knew that she was alright and had been released from sickbay two days prior to his release. He had also been told that she had visited him while he was still recuperating so it did not make sense that he had not been able to see her once he was well again.

A part of him thought that maybe this was all for the best. He really didn't need to get involved with a human for a multitude of reasons and his reason in coming to earth did not include finding a mate or "Falling in love" As humans put it.  
>That term never did make sense to him, how could someone fall in love? You either were or you weren't.. right? This was something he never really cared to think about before. "Illogical" He had thought and yet this didn't stop the throb he'd feel in his midsection every time he went into the lab and found it empty. It wasn't just the pleasing effects he'd feel when he'd see her, it was the fact that he was able to have such stimulating conversations with her. They seemed to fit together so well in ways that didn't always make sense but still he couldn't deny this fact.<p>

Exactly one week, 1 day, 12 minutes and 27 seconds after the incident, Zareth was walking from class to his quarters when he saw a notice on the bulletin. Apparently Commander Denning was holding a celebratory dinner for the whole programming community to celebrate the success of the holodeck. He thought it unjustly that it seemed selected only towards the programmers when in fact it took various divisions to make up the success of it, his work included. It was to be held this coming Friday at 1900 hours in one of the ball rooms in a hotel nearby. He had never been the social type but if there was a chance that he'd run into Sarah and have an opportunity to talk to her, it might be worth it.

He spent more time than he would've liked thinking about the possibility but for each time he went into the study lab and she wasn't there, his resolve to go increased until finally; Friday came along and before he knew it; he was putting on his best dress robes in preparation for the celebration. They were black with gold and green embroidery. After he gave himself a look in the mirror of his quarters appraising himself and agreeing that his appearance was appropriate for the affair; he made his way to the celebratory dinner.

Once Zareth made his way into the ballroom he was instantly engulfed with the loud sounds of people chattering, laughing, and music playing in the background. It was surprisingly crowded considering the invitation was only extended to programmers. It seemed that others had thought the same as him for he saw a cadet amongst a group of young women who he knew for certain was not a programmer.

A man wearing an old fashioned butler's outfit came around with a tray of drinks, he extended it out to Zareth and as he waved it in front of him he could pick up the potent smells of alcohol. He picked one up and nodded towards the man before taking a small sip. It was agreeable, particularly the way the bubbly concoction made its way down his throat, but it wasn't something he would avidly seek out; it would do for now.

He walked further into the crowds of people and then over on the left hand corner he spotted Sarah. He instantly stopped walking, his breath hitched and his pupils dilated as his eyes raked over her form. Never had he seen such a female in all his life.

Sarah wore a silver dress but the material gave off a shine whenever she turned or twisted in the light. Her hair was down and the ends were curled, the top side was picked up by a silver comb that contained a multitude of shiny stones. She wore long crystal-like earings and a necklace that looked much the same. She was wearing makeup, it gave her a more adult-like appearance, the smoky eyeshadow made her emerald eyes look even more striking; her lips a pale pink.

She was speaking with commander Denning and he apparently said something of humor for they were both laughing. In her hand she held a glass flute much like his. He finally moved and picked up his drink observing it and then looking back at her. It was moments such as these that he wished alcohol caused the same effects on Vulcans than it did on humans.

His observation of her must've been made a little too obvious for as she was about to raise the glass up to her own lips again, she looked directly at him, her forced smile still in place as her eyes grew wide. Her cheeks began to flush and her line of sight dropped down immediately. He could tell that she was excusing herself from the commander and she looked up at him again before heading towards the back end of the room and exiting out the double doors.  
>Zareth put down his still full glass on the table nearby before following after her, not knowing that the commander was watching.<p>

For once in his life, Zareth did not know what he was going to say. He had not thought out a routine or calculated nor rehearsed any such conversation and he was extremely aware of how bizarre and unorthodox this was for him yet his purposeful strides towards her did not falter and soon he was outside watching her retreating form head towards the gardens that were quite extensive and handsomely kept. It was starting to get dark though and the skies were taking on a purple and orange haze.

She turned towards a bench but stayed standing. Her back was towards him, her hands still holding the glass, he could see her hands fidgeting against it and he knew that she was aware of his presence. He could hear her taking a deep breath before she turned around and faced him.  
>There was no smile, no warm and expectant welcome, instead her eyes held a sort of anxiousness and dismay.<p>

"Good evening cadet, how are you faring?"

He flinched inwardly as she had gone back to referring to him as cadet.

"I am well; I trust that you are too."

She shrugged slightly, her eyes never making contact with his. "I guess."

He stepped closer to her, and she in turn took a step back.

"Why do you not go to the study lab anymore?" He inquired; it was the burning question for which he most wanted to know the answer to.

She looked away from him, observing the sky and the bit of clouds that were sprayed across. He did not understand why they held such fascination for her at this moment although the colors were alluring but as he looked closely at her face he realized that she was trying to hold back her emotions.  
>Her voice trembled as she responded. "I stay in my quarters now."<p>

"I see." He cleared his throat and then began on a different subject. "I believe I am to congratulate you on your success. I have heard that you are to be awarded and receiving honors for your implementation of the recreational aspects of the holodeck, it is truly…." As he said this, he could see that there was a glaze in her eyes and then water began to trickle down her cheek.

"I can't do this." She said finally looking up at him. He could see the pain in her eyes and as it vibrated throughout her being as she visibly trembled. "I'm sorry; please excuse me." She said before she turned and ran away leaving him looking after her with a dozen new questions forcing their way into his mind and feeling the most disoriented and unsettled he had ever felt before in his life.


	7. Chapter 7

A month had gone by since the evening of the party.

Despite the fact that Zareth never really understood what had happened and why he hardly ever saw Sarah anymore, he was determined to not let this keep him from his main objective; advancing himself as much as possible while he was at StarFleet.

The events of the holodeck slowly crept away from the surface of his mind as the days went by except for that one time where he had to do some engineering work in the holodeck room. The feeling of uneasiness had settled within the pit of his stomach when he had seen Sarah typing away and looking at the workstation monitor on the other side of the room from where he was.

A part of him wanted to go over and talk to her like he once use to but then he remembered how she had treated him the evening of the party and decided it was better if he kept his distance. It seemed to him like she simply did not want to be around anyone and he could certainly understand that even though it didn't stop the ache whenever he saw her. He found himself looking up at her on various occasions and on one of those occasions he had caught her looking back at him. His mouth had gone dry, and a sort of anticipation began to build within him as they had looked at each other for long moments but then she had simply gone back to doing her work, and any chance of them possibly speaking was gone. He of course had no choice but to do the same and continue to work, what else could be done?

Zareth had returned to his quarters for the night and upon checking his messages realized one of them was from his mother. He had to admit that he had been recently neglecting communicating with his parents so he immediately made a call to her. She appeared on screen, serene as always.

"Zareth my son, your father and I wanted to inquire after you health."

Zareth bowed. "I am well mother; there is much work to be done here. Please accept my apology for not keeping in touch as often."

"This is understandable Zareth, I will convey your regards to your father for he is not here at this time. I must tell you Zareth that one of the reasons for my calling previously was to discuss the matter of finding you another bond mate. It has been over a year since the disconnection between you and L'Rii what is your take on this matter?"

Zareth immediately thought of Sarah. Curious reaction for she was not his bonded and yet..

"I do not know if that is an adequate subject to carry out at this time for I am heavily involved in various projects."

"But my son, you would not have to do anything in this matter except come to Vulcan when StarFleet assigns its end of the year leave. I trust I would have a found a suitable candidate by then."

He knew she was pushing the subject and he wasn't getting any younger either; he was going to turn sixty this year.

He would've insisted she let go of the subject until some appropriate time had passed but he again thought about how things between he and Sarah had turned out. It would be totally and completely illogical to think that anything would transpire between them… Not like he wanted it to, he just missed her friendshipand that was all.

"Do what you must mother; I will do what is necessary when the time comes."

She nodded and gave a small hint of a smile.

"I will not fail you my son."

"Thank you mother."

**OoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Zareth headed towards the study lab with 93.7% certainty that it would be empty so it came as somewhat of a surprise to find that when he walked in; it held other occupants.

Immediately his eyes fell upon Sarah and again he felt that rushing sensation of longing and discomfort all in one. She did not look well nor as vibrant as in past times. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was disheveled. She was not alone for there was a young man sitting next to her who he had seen before but was not acquainted with.

"Commander Denning needs this in two days Sarah and we're not even halfway done." He said in a manner that was too aggressive for his taste. Sarah looked irritated at his words, her eyes sparking with anger.  
>"I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about what 'Commander Denning wants' As a matter of fact!"<p>

She was now packing up her things and looking as if she were going to leave. "Commander Denning can kiss my…"

"SARAH!" The cadet retorted in shock. "That is a commanding officer you are speaking ill of!"

She rolled her eyes and threw her sweater over her shoulder. "I'm done Troy. Working six hours a day on this crap on top of everything else we have to do is enough for me."

She looked miserable as she made her way down the isle of the lab, she kept her head down the entire time until she saw the perfectly shined and polished shoes she knew well and looked up abruptly, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.

"Erm.." was all she managed to say as she looked at him.

"Yes, good evening to you too cadet Williams, if you will excuse me." Zareth said in a dry manner. He seemed totally and completely calm despite what he was feeling inwardly.

He was already pulling out the chair of his usual work station and settling his things down on the table. She stayed looking at him as if she wanted to say something. Zareth noticed this and looked up at her, his head slanted to the side.

"Was there something else cadet Williams?" He asked.

He saw her swallow hard, and then that same glaze appeared in her eyes followed with the look of sadness. She seemed so tormented and he wondered what she could possibly be going through that she felt she needed to alienate herself to such a degree. Maybe it had been wrong to leave things as they had been for so long, but before he could manage to say thing else; Sarah hastily left the room.

He stayed staring at the spot where she had been standing; All the questions returning to his mind and repeating themselves over and over again. One of them being that he could not understand why certain feelings insisted on surfacing when she was around. It was quite obvious that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore and even though he did not understand why this was, he should've moved on and forgotten about it by now to the point where looking and interacting with her now should hold no significance to him anymore and yet it only seemed to be getting worse each and every time he saw her.

The other cadet that was with her got up now, looking at the door and scoffing before looking over to him. "Yeah, she can be a real bitch when she wants to be. She desperately needs a man to put a smile on her miserable face."

Zareth felt a certain possessiveness arise when he heard such things being said about her. Who was he to judge what he did not understand about her? and then realization dawned on him for he too did not understand and yet did nothing about it. He was only now beginning to pick up on the fact that sometimes humans had a tendency to push away people that they in fact truly care about for various reasons even if there was no logical reasoning behind it.

The thought of her possibly caring about him brought back those inappropriate sensations and he found himself getting up from the work station yet again.

"You do well to keep your thoughts to yourself cadet." He said in his most serious manner.

"If you have a problem with cadet Williams, you should address it to her personally instead of spreading untruths about her person. I do not wish to hear it again." He heard the cadet mumble a "whatever" Before sitting back down and going back to his work. Zareth on the other hand hurried out of the lab, looking around see where Sarah might've gone. He was walking past the cafeteria when he saw her going past the gate and it appeared that she was leaving campus. He caught up to her quickly and upon hearing the quick steps she turned around, her mouth opening already to give some kind of protest but it faltered when she realized he was facing her.

"Zareth…" She said in a hushed whisper and then her eyes began to leak. He did not understand why this was becoming a custom whenever she saw him, and this caused further distress within his person.

"Does seeing me distress you so much?" He couldn't help but ask. It came out sounding pained and gruff.  
>"What damage have I incurred upon you that you won't even speak to me anymore nor sit in the same room with me? I must know so that we can remedy the situation if one is available."<p>

"Why?" She barely choked out.

He looked at her oddly; not at all comfortable with the red hue on her face nor the breathing patterns she had taken on since the leaking of her eyes began.

"Why what? I do not understand what you are particularly questioning."

"Why do you want to remedy this? What for?"

Zareth blinked and opened his mouth to answer but he did not know what to say for he wasn't sure that the truth was the appropriate answer so he bounced back on another truth.

"When we were trapped in the gaming program you had said that we were friends. Is this how humans treat friends?"

"Oh Zareth!" She stammered in a frustrated manner. The water now trickling down her face, it was most unbecoming on her and yet never had he wanted to be closer to her. She looked as if she needed physical reassurance as most humans did when they were distressed.

"You don't understand… I'm staying away from you because I am your friend. Haven't you seen the trouble I've caused you? You.. You.. you could've died you.. "  
>Her eyes were leaking even more and her body began to tremble.<p>

Finally, he understood.

He wanted to console her but didn't know if this was a good idea so he approached her and stood as close to her as he dared to.

"Sarah, please look at me." He said in such a soft manner that the words were like a caress.

Sarah lifted her head and looked at his onyx eyes, her own emerald one's shining due to the tears still pooled there.

"Who's idea was it for me to accompany you on that day?"

"I uh.. I don't.."

"It was mine, I suggested it; it was my idea so therefore you are being unjust in blaming yourself for the injuries that were inflicted upon my person."

"But you didn't know that the possibility of real danger existed and you got hurt! Oh Zareth..You have no idea how pained I was when I saw your unconscious form lying on the ground, knowing that it could've been prevented had I never insisted the idea that holodecks could be used for recreational purposes and now… They want to give me this insipid award meanwhile people are still to this day not allowed to go back into a holodeck until more tests and programs are run to ensure safety."

"Your idea has merit Sarah, that is why it is being awarded. It was not your fault that another programmer disfigured what was initially created by you. Why do you torture yourself so?"

Sarah shook her head. "I don't know. I myself do not know."

"Of course you know, you're just keeping it hidden and maybe for a good reason but the longer you run from it, the more it will control your life."

Sarah abruptly wiped away her tears and sniffed back the mucus that she felt had started flowing. That was all she needed right now was for goo to start emitting off of her face for him to see. That would just top this whole ordeal nicely.

"I don't.. I." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before finally letting out: "It's not a good idea just now; it's too painful." She replied in a whisper.

Zareth continued to look at her before nodding. "I admit that I may not understand the specifics of your ordeal but I can try to 'lend an ear' as humans tend to do to console one another."  
>At this Sarah looked up at his long and pointy ears and let out an involuntary laugh, yet this did not displease him. It was actually the best he had seen in her a long while.<p>

"If you don't mind me asking, where were you headed just now? You looked as if you were leaving campus."

"I was." She said as she was still wiping the tears from her face with a napkin she had pulled out. He saw the StarFleet crest and realized it was the ones from the cafeteria.

"I was walking to clear my head, and I am hungry and not particularly in the mood to cook or eat cafeteria food again. Plus I had heard that they opened a new Vegan friendly place nearby."

She looked up at him, her emerald eyes taking on a softer look. "All this holodeck business has me going mad Zareth; I haven't eaten since this morning. I thought I'd go there and see how the food fares."  
>She looked down, took a deep breath and then looked up at him again. "I don't suppose you'd like to join me?"<p>

Zareth had already consumed his evening meal and wasn't particularly hungry at this time so it was technically illogical to go in search of more consumption and yet he found himself answering:" I will on the condition that in the future, should you feel that you need to alienate yourself from me for my benefit, you will at least speak to me first on the matter before disappearing."

Sarah's eyes grew wide and then a smile formed on her face. She nodded. "I promise I will not hide anymore."

"Excellent, now where is this Vegan place you speak of?"

OoOoOoOoOoO

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the restaurant… If you could even call it that.  
>It was an old wooden house that had been renovated and painted in a bright green color that could be seen for miles. It was surrounded by lush green plants and flowers all over the sides of the house, and on the porch. Then as they went up the creaking steps and towards the front door, there was a huge sign that read "The Green Room."<p>

"Charming." Sarah commented.

"Yes, quite." Zareth responded.

Inside was a young man who had several piercings on his face as well as various tattoos on his arms. He gave them a warm smile as they entered: "Welcome to the green room, my name is Dave; have you been here before?"

"No uh, we've just heard about this place recently." Sarah said.

"Well 98% of our produce is organic, and we proudly serve meat and dairy free products without compromising flavor. Please look over our menu and just come up to the counter when you're ready to order."

Sarah held out the menu so Zareth could look at it.  
>"They have quinoa, Oh I love quinoa! I think that is what I'll have."<p>

"Quinoa, a grain rich in protein as well as vitamins indigenous to the regions of South America Earth but is Cultivated in various countries that contains rich soil and plentiful sunlight."

"Thank you Webster." Sarah replied while still looking at the menu.

"Who is Webster?"

Sarah gave him a mischievous smirk that caused a pleasant physical reaction within his being.

"A dictionary."

Zareth raised an eyebrow and gave her one of his "I'm not amused stares" It had been so long since they had played around like that, she had truly missed it.

The guy at the counter realized that they were looking at each other as opposed to the menu.  
>"You guys finding everything alright? Need help with anything?"<p>

Sarah was the first to look away and smile at the young man. " I know what I'll be having, you Zareth?"

"Just some hibiscus tea and one of your homemade granola bars please." Zareth replied.

Sarah on the other hand must've ordered the entire menu because when they brought out the food, they had to put one of the plates that didn't fit on their table on the opposing one next to them.

"I take it you are hungry." Zareth said as he looked at the load of food in front of her in comparison to his small dish of granola and tea.

Sarah picked up one of the wraps and scarfed down half of it in just a few bites. Zareth looked on in amusement as he sipped his tea.

"Is it customary for Commander Denning to starve his brightest students in such a manner?"

Sarah visibly sneered before finishing the rest of her wrap. It had taken a total of two minutes and forty seven seconds for her to do so, and she was now moving on to the quinoa while Zareth had only taken a bite out of his granola.

"I have the utmost respect for commander Denning but the more I work with him the more uneasy I become around him, and yes you're right about the starving part. He works me to the point of mental exhaustion; I'm growing quite tired of it frankly."

"Why do you not voice this concern to him? I would not think that he is intentionally causing you such grief."

Sarah shrugged. "I don't want to appear weak and unable in his eyes I guess."

"Voicing a valid concern is not a sign of weakness, and if he were a logical being, he would take the proper course of action to remedy your situation."

Sarah looked up at him and smirked slightly. "Therein lies the problem. Commander Denning is anything but logical."

Zareth raised an eyebrow, he was certainly caught there.

Sarah smiled before brining the quinoa up to her mouth and tasting it.

"Mmm.. " She moaned as she covered her mouth with her right hand. "This is absolutely amazing, you must try it."

"I do no…."  
>But she had already placed the plate in front of him and moved his granola to the side. She picked up another fork and handed it over to him. "Don't make me spoon feed you now Zareth."<p>

With another raise of the eyebrow, he took the fork from her and dipped it in the grains before brining it to his mouth. He chewed and allowed the flavors to be absorbed by his taste buds and he had to admit that the flavor was exceedingly pleasing.

He continued to eat from her plate and Sarah laughed before tugging back at the plate. "Hey, that's mine!"

But he tugged back and kept eating. "I believe that there is a human phrase for such a situation that goes: 'snooze, you loose.' "

Sarah's eyes lit up and her mouth opened slightly in surprise before she let out a joyous laugh that filled his being in a very pleasant manner.

**I want to thank everyone who's been kind enough to leave a review or add this on their favorites :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

Weeks went by in which Zareth and Sarah almost immediately settled back into the old routine of studying daily together but this had increased even more so than before since now the weekends were included in their meeting agenda. It seemed that there wasn't a day that went by in which they were not in each other's company. They would occasionally dine outside of campus or head to a local book shop or partake of recreational activities that was outside of the StarFleet world.

One afternoon; Sarah was waiting for Zareth in the cafeteria. They had made plans to eat and then head out to the library since Sarah needed to do some research on the new G-Oracle program that was being introduced to the programmers. Having to learn a new tool was always a pain so the more she knew about it, the easier life would be.  
>She was focused reading her current book when she felt someone sitting across from her and just from sensing the movement, she knew immediately that it was not Zareth, so she looked up as if upset that she had been disturbed from her reading.<p>

Commander Denning lifted his hands up in defense mode. "Easy cadet, it's just me."

Sarah gave a small forced smile. "Commander Denning, what a surprise."

"You've been hiding from me cadet!" He exclaimed as a joke but was serious at the same time.

"I would love to have that luxury commander, but I'm currently being pulled in various directions with all the projects going on to say nothing of the work from my classes as you well know." She said in an accusing manner. He knew damn well that he was the main person loading on the work and the fact that he acted as if he didn't recognize this boiled her blood.

He gave her an awkward smile; he could tell that she was not in the best of moods so he decided to lighten the conversation. "But I hope that this will not alter your desire to go to the awards ceremony."

"What awards ceremony?"

Commander Denning gave her a wide smile. "It's all set! You and a couple of other cadets will be awarded this coming Friday. There will be food and stimulating conversation to be had afterwards since various high ranking officer's will be there. I would not miss the opportunity if I were you cadet."

Sarah said nothing, but seemed to be thinking about it. The commander then leaned forward and whispered. "Would it persuade you to go if I invited you out to a nice jazz club nearby afterwards? Just to let loose a bit, what do you say?"

As Sarah looked at him, she almost wanted to laugh, if she didn't know better, she'd say that the commander had just asked her out on a date. Did he not read regulation rules? Wait.. This was commander Denning so that meant he probably didn't care much about regulation, but as she was thinking this, a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.

"We have already made arrangements Commander." He turned around from his seat and saw the Vulcan standing as calm as ever. He then turned to Sarah who was smiling in earnest. "He's right commander, we already made arrangements for that night, I do appreciate the invitation though."

Commander Denning seemed affronted and immediately asked, his skin getting flushed: "What? Are you guys an item or something? You're always together! As a matter of fact; I don't think I ever see the two of you apart!" 

He looked over at Sarah imploringly hoping she would dispel his accusation but she only raised an eyebrow.

"With all due respect commander; I believe there are some topics of discussion that should remain private, now if you'll excuse us, Zareth and I have to get going."

She got up out of her seat and without another glance back, she walked over to Zareth who without question walked alongside her out of the cafeteria.

"I realize that your actions were probably the most logical choice but why did you refrain from answering his question?"

"Because it's none of his damn business that's why! and I'm sick and tired of him trying to butt in on everything that I do." She stopped and looked at him, her cheeks red and her emerald eyes blazing, he knew the conversation had exasperated her, but he couldn't help but thinking how visually pleasing she looked too.

"I don't have to report my personal affairs to him, who the hell does he think he is? What you and I do is our business and nobody else's!"  
>Sarah had said this so loud that several passing cadets turned around and looked at them strangely. Zareth however remained absolutely calm as he always did and after a few seconds asked:<p>

"Do you feel better now?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Yes.. NO!" She rushed out. "In my hurry for us to get out we didn't even eat, and we can't go back, he's probably still there."

"Shall we venture outside of campus then?" She didn't answer but turned around and started to head in the direction of the gates. He followed beside her waiting patiently until her anger seemed to have sated some before he mentioned: "I was able to hear the commander's invitation to you just a while ago."

"Did it sound as inappropriate to you as it did to me?"

"Quite, and his outburst was extremely distasteful for a man of his rank. You would think that he would refrain at all costs from making such advances towards you but his doing so does not come as a surprise to me."

Sarah's brows furrowed together as he said this. "What do you mean it doesn't come as a surprise?"

"Sarah it is quite obvious that the terran is attracted to you, what his specific purpose is however is hard to say for terrans seem to have various inclinations towards a being they're attracted to that are not always honorable."

"Did you just refer to a commanding officer as a mere terran?"

"I..."

"You know.." She interrupted. "If I didn't know better; I'd say you were bothered by it."

"Illogical human reasoning."

"AND!" She continued, "That's why you cut in and said we already have arrangements."

"I have various logical explanations for my actions, the first one being that even from where I stood, I could see your distress and I simply came to alleviate you of the situation. The second one being that I was doing a service to commander Denning as well as you for if you had agreed and both of you had gone out alone and been seen, the situation would be questionable both to you and the commander."

"Did you just justify a lie?"

"It doesn't have to be seen as lie, we can partake in a recreational activity after the ceremony; I am amendable to this."

Sarah gave him a teasing grin. "What if I said no, that I simply want to go to my quarters and rest?"

"That is your choice." He said this as calmly as possible but Sarah was familiar enough with him to pick up the slight disappointment in his tone.

"Zareth, I'm not gonna do that… How bout we go downtown?"

"What does downtown contain that draws your attention?"

"I read that there's a club down there where you sit and drink coffee or tea and listen to people recite poetry."

"This is your idea of a stimulating activity?"

"Will you at least give it a chance? If you hate it after a few minutes we can leave."

"I suppose that is suitable. At any rate, where are we going now?"

"I thought the direction in which we're walking would've made it obvious to you."

"The Greek Cafe?"

"Brilliant as always Webster!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

The day in which a couple of cadets were to be recognized for their outstanding work came. A small ceremony was arranged in one of the bigger conference rooms and a local gourmet restaurant catered the event. Zareth was also to attend and this brought much relief to Sarah. "I'm so glad! I wont be by myself!" She exclaimed when he told her that he had received an official invitation.

"Technically, you wouldn't be by yourself, there will be thirty five people in attendance, not including the commanding officers."

Sarah rolled her eyes at his dictionary qualities shining through.

Zareth was now accustomed to their simultaneous teasing and he was fine with it for she only said it when they were alone, he couldn't even begin to imagine his parents reaction if they knew of it.  
>All of this had nothing to do with the fact that she was growing increasingly confident around him nor would he ever admit that their increasing attachment to one another was something he cherished. To think so would be illogical for various reasons.<p>

Sarah and the other thirty four cadets sat in uniform attentively listening to Admiral Tsinsao talk about the importance of giving your all and how they were to be commended. He had an energetic voice that seemed to draw the attention of everyone in the room and Sarah could only imagine what it would've been like to serve under his command. Zareth sat next to her attentively listening and observing the admiral but he'd occasionally look over at commander Denning who had looked over at their direction six times already since the ceremony commenced; Sarah seemed to be oblivious to this.

Their names were called and they went up and receive a small medal and a certificate that was being handed out by the admiral. After the ceremony, Sarah and said Admiral conversed for several minutes and although Zareth was on the other side of the room socializing with others as well, he would on various occasions look towards her. She would sometimes return his stare and grace him with an assuring smile. 

After about an hour, both Zareth and Sarah met up in the middle of the room. "Are you ready to leave now?" He asked. 

"More than you know." and as they were about to head towards the exit, commander Denning stepped towards them.

"You're not leaving already?" He said with a knowing smile.

"As you see, we are." Zareth replied.

"Sarah.." He said ignoring Zareth. "I'd like to discuss the linguistics of the new G-oracle, it wont take long and you two can be on your merry way." but the moment that he said: "discuss" Zareth felt a hand encompass his own and his eyes quite literally grew wide for he had never before felt Sarah's touch so directly nor in such a manner. Without realizing it, he swallowed hard as feelings that were dormant began to stir within his being.

"Can't this wait till a later time commander? We really must be on our way."

She was tugging harder. The pads of her fingers grazed against his own in a maddening fashion. The tip of her pinky gently caressing the inside of his palm deliciously and Zareth's eyes rolled back slightly at the feel of such contact from her. His own fingers began to ever so slightly caress back against hers, probing, sensing, and Sarah must've been so involved in her heated conversation that she did not realize what was happening. Never had anything felt so good and he had to forcibly shut his mouth to not emit a groan of ecstasy.

"Cadet, your tone of questioning..." The commander replied hotly, both he and Sarah oblivious to what was happening to Zareth.

"What's the trouble here?" Admiral Tsinsao asked as he approached them. "Commander, this is a celebratory event, I think it'll be alright to give the cadets some leisure time."

Commander Denning frowned but then nodded. "Yes, of course. Enjoy your evening." He said dryly before he turned around and left.

Sarah smiled at the Admiral "Thank you sir, it was a pleasure meeting you." He bowed slightly at her before turning to Zareth who was still in raptures over their hand holding, but managed to look clam and bow at the admiral before exiting the room alongside Sarah.

"Can you believe the nerve of that man? How is it that he changed so drastically overnight? He use to be my favorite instructor and now… Zareth?"

She looked over at him with concern. His ears were a dark green and his eyes looked weird. He was looking deeply into her eyes and breathing hard.

"Are you ok Zareth? You wanna sit down for a minute or get something to drink?"

"No I.." He said still looking intently at her. "I… " He then closed his eyes abruptly and hung his head. "I need to meditate."

Sarah's eyes grew alarmingly wide. "Zareth, are you ill? Do you want to go to sickbay?"

"I assure you there is nothing the matter with me, but I require solitude just now." He replied a little too harshly. Sarah looked on, her face full of concern for him.

"I hope I didn't offend you Zareth; I would be devastated if I did."

He forced himself to look at her, taking deep breaths as he did so. "It's not you Sarah, but I do require solitude just now."

Sarah nodded and she took on a look that he knew all too well, she was going to turn around, and probably go into hiding as she normally did when she thought someone was upset with her. He quickly reached out her, making sure to touch the sleeve of her uniform and not make anymore skin contact.

"Do not hide from me Sarah." He said gruffly, he was so close to her now that his face was just inches away from hers. Her eyes were glassy and despite what he was saying he knew that she was probably trying to recap what she had done that upset him so.

" You've done nothing wrong, It's just…"

Sarah slanted her head to the side. "A Vulcan thing?" He nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I'm sorry that our plans have been cancelled, if you have time tomorrow.."

"Yeah, you know where to reach me." She said almost in a whisper. "Just, get better ok?"

He gave one last look into her eyes, eyes that he knew he'd never see the same way again because he had been made aware of the indescribable sensation of her touch. There was no going back from something like that, it demanded to be explored and only strict meditation would bring such powerful stirrings back into a dormant state; at least for now.

He knew he wouldn't get much sleep that night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey kids, sorry if you got an e-mail update for chapter 8 like three times, FF was being retarded again. Loading this chapter was no picnic either, it kept telling me to LogIn again or delete my browser cookies, why FF? Why are you making life so difficult?**

**Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are awesome!**

Sarah was sitting in the study lab going over a new recreational series for the holodeck.  
>A week had passed since the awards ceremony and while it was true that Zareth had seemed to return back to normal the following day, he was still some what different.<br>She could tell from the way he avoided looking directly at her and only did it when he thought she wasn't looking. It was almost like he was ashamed of something, but she also wondered whether it was something she had done that he was embarrassed over even though she knew he'd deny experiencing said emotion.  
>She looked up to where he normally studied, he would not be there today for he recently had taken on some kind of extracurricular project where civil engineering was in high demand.<p>

Two more weeks passed in which she barely saw anything of Zareth, his time apparently being taken up by this huge project. He had tried to explain it to her on Wednesday, the one day where he actually showed up to eat lunch with her. He looked thinner and pale with a greenish hue and hardly even looked at her as he ate.  
>He had tried to explain the details of the project but she didn't really understand the technicality of it all and simply nodded through most of his explanation.<p>

Sarah was feeling extremely lonely, and she didn't know what to do about it.

To demand that Zareth quit his project would be what he'd like to say: "Illogical" For a variety of reasons. It couldn't hurt to let him know that she was missing him especially since they had been spending so much time together until that day. It just didn't make sense to her for he went out of his way to let her know that it was nothing she had done, and yet that could've been Vulcan politeness, right?  
>Sarah found that she was thinking about him constantly and the way things were headed didn't sit well. She had been down this road before and it led to shattered dreams and much heartache, if she went through something like that again she didn't know how she would deal with it. She couldn't very well run away from StarFleet academy, she had already done such a great job of making a name for herself in the short two years she'd been there. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that Zareth was backing away from her; she really should be concentrating on her school work and maybe taking on another extracirricula… Nah… She could see Commander Denning issuing her work left and right.<br>With a sigh, she packed up her things and made her way across the lawn, she felt like being bad and indulging in pizza, not with vegan cheese, but the real thing. A smile crossed her lips as she thought about the prospect when she felt steps falling into rhythm beside her; it was commander Denning.

She smiled one of her small smiles but it wasn't forced this time, he'd actually been backing off from her the last couple of weeks and for this she was extremely grateful.

"Where's your twin?" He asked.

"Good question, I rarely see him now in days."

She knew this took him by surprise as his eyes grew wide and he actually stammered. "W.. Really?"

"Yup, he's involved in various things now so I think it really is all work and sleep with the occasional meal, the last time I saw him he looked thinner."

"Still, to just disconnect himself from you in such a manner cadet, that goes to show you what you'd have to go through if you get involved with Vulcans."

Sarah stopped. "I beg your pardon commander but I see nothing wrong with Vulcan's being focus driven by a goal, I personally see it as a strength."

"Then, you don't mind that he's just up and abandoned you?"

"But…"

"You know cadet." He continued. "I don't know how far your knowledge of them goes but I'd be careful as to how close you get to him, and I am saying this in consideration of your feelings. I know it's probably presumptuous to assume…"

"Your manner of speaking already says as much commander."

"Right, but you do well to be informed, how much do you really know of Vulcans? Of Zareth? Has he spoken to you of his family? His life back on Vulcan, why he came here? Has he Sarah?"

"I…" Sarah's eyes were already glassy as she knew the answer to all of this was no. He never spoke such intimate things with her, but then again, neither did she so it was fair, right?

"Has he ever told you that at the tender age of seven, they are bonded with a female who's chosen by the parents? They're married cadet, at the age of seven, and unless my eyes deceive me; I think Zareth is older than just a mere seven years. Doesn't it make you think about what his true intentions are in regards to befriending a lovely human female as yourself?"

Sarah was grinding her teeth, her fists balled up at her sides, she was trying her hardest not to cry in front of this horrible man.

"You're lying!" She was able to force out.

"Do some research and you'll see that I am not."

He looked her over once more before saying: "Good evening." And walking away, leaving her there with her hands still in fists and now the tears had finally began to unshed from her eyes.

Was it true? Was it possible that Zareth had a young bride back on Vulcan?  
>Images began to run through her mind of a beautiful female with long pointy ears welcoming him home with open arms.<p>

She was running now, she didn't know where she was going, and sometimes she could barely see for her eyes would become smeared with tears. She ran until it physically hurt and when she stopped, she realized that she was at a park on the bay. The sight of the sun setting was breath taking and to her left she saw an empty swing. She laughed at herself, the swing had been there when she had caught her ex cheating all those years ago. Life seemed to have a bitter sort of irony for her where love was concerned.  
>Resigned, she walked over to the swing and sat down swinging as she did those years ago, wondering why she was so unlovable.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was midnight when Zareth arrived at his quarters. He was physically and mentally exhausted but luckily this engineering project would be over in two days time. He wandered over to the computer to check his messages but a big zero flashed before his eyes. He had not heard from Sarah in three days and he knew that it was his fault, but he had been powerless to do anything about it. He had been suddenly pulled into working long hours where he barely even had time to eat and it seemed that whenever he'd try to leave Sarah a message, someone would interrupt and he'd had to turn his attention to something else.

He had done the very thing that he told her he wouldn't do, he was acting as if she had done something wrong and had distanced himself, and if he were honest; a part of him did for he was still extremely unsettled about the way she had made him feel, he had lost control and that was unacceptable.

However tempting the idea of letting her go seemed, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. She deserved better then that, he only hoped that she wouldn't go back to ignoring him, if she did, he understood that he deserved it this time. What could be done to tame the emotions of a human female? He would have to do some research on this but for now, his body required rest.

The following day he headed towards the study lab where his eyes instantly searched for the area where she usually sat. His insides somersaulted as he saw her; it had been too long, and the effect of seeing her only intensified with time.

He immediately made his way towards her but she did not look up as she was writing at lightning speeds.

He cleared his throat; she finally looked up.

"Hey, long time no see." She said and then went back to writing. It's true he was expecting a better reception but he knew that she had a tendency to get focused in her work.

"I have been much occupied." He replied.

"Oh yeah? Couldn't even leave me a message or something?" The way she said this sounded normal enough but he knew that she was upset.

"I did try, on various occasions but.."

"No, no, it's ok, I understand." She said, but she was still writing not looking up at him.

"I did not come here to study for I have to get back to the engineering lab; I just came to personally extend my apologies for my prolonged absence. My project ends tomorrow so my normal schedule should resume at that time."

Sarah put down her pencil and looked off into the distance before looking up at him.

"I appreciate the thought behind it; I was beginning to forget what you even look like. Let me ask you though, does your wife still remember what you look like?"

His eyes visually grew wide in shock and he stepped back a bit. "I.."

"Because it's understandable that you wouldn't have time to message me, but it would be absolutely unforgivable if you didn't find the time to at least speak with her!"  
>Sarah slammed her book down and stood up.<p>

"I thought you were different; I had heard that Vulcans were loyal, and faithful, were you just stringing me along this whole time? Capture the interest of an dumb, unsuspecting human female?"

"Sarah.."

"You know what, I don't want to hear the answer to that."  
>She began to pack her things, her cheeks flushed and the anger vibrating throughout her being.<p>

"I assure you that I have no idea what you're speaking of. I am not 'married' as humans understand it."  
>He said this calmly but it was hard even for him to do so, he had not been expecting such an accusation from her and it was extremely unsettling.<p>

"Like I believe you." She said sarcastically, and then she stopped, she sighed and looked up at him, her features no longer that of anger but of deep pain and hurt. 

"Why would you do this to me? I thought you were different I.." Her voice got choked and tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Sarah" He said getting closer to her. "I honestly do not know how you've come up with this information, or why you'd think that I would be capable of willingly deceiving you. I would never want to be the cause of your inflicted pain, and as I stand here now seeing you like this; I will do whatever is necessary to reverse your conflict."

"You're going to stand there and tell me you're not married, and you expect me to believe it!"

"I… no I am not now. I was at one time but it.." Zareth closed his eyes and turned away from her.

Upon seeing his reaction Sarah's eyes grew wide. "Is she.. did she … die?"

"No." He replied, his back still turned to her. "She is still alive with a Betazoid, she… She severed our relationship to be with another."

Sarah was not expecting this and suddenly she did not know what to say. 'Sorry?' Not only would that sound lame, but she wasn't sorry, she knew she was being selfish for she didn't want him to be married.  
>As she was thinking this, he turned around and stepped closer to her.<p>

Time seemed to stop in that instant as he reached out his hand and took hold of hers, holding it up so that both their hands were facing the other. There was an electrifying pulse as his fingers cascaded down her own. She closed her eyes at the feel of it and not really knowing why, she began to gently bring the pads of her fingers closer to his palm where they caressed his center. He took an involuntary breath has she did this and stepped so close to her that she could actually feel his body heat. His fingers were probing hers and as he did so, she would suddenly be engulfed with a very pleasurable sensation that was not her own followed by longing. Her fingers where traveling past his palm towards his wrist, and as she began to stroke him gently; from the beginnings of his wrist moving slowly to the tips of his fingers, she heard him emit a small groan. She dared to look up at him in that instant and saw that his eyes were closed and…. was that desire on his face? For some odd reason she felt as if they had done this before and while this was nice, the sensations were unleashing a desire within her being as well; she wanted to kiss him. But just as soon as it started, it stopped.  
>He was looking deep into her eyes, for a moment it looked like he was in fact about to kiss her and she closed her eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek.<br>In a gruff voice he said: "I believe it is time that we speak about this in private, would you consent to coming to my quarters?"

Sarah opened her eyes. She knew that he was expected somewhere else right now and yet he was putting that aside for her. She could already feel herself nodding and all too soon, he had let go of her hand to lead the way, the feeling of loss much more than she would've thought possible.

**Don't hate me! Better times ahead; I swear!**


	10. Chapter 10

Zareth and Sarah were making their way out of the building, Sarah's heart pounding loudly in her chest with the mixture of nerves and anticipation coursing throughout her body, but that all swiftly came to a halt when there was a sudden loud shout: "CADETS!" 

Both of them turned around instantly and found commander Denning standing before them, he looked angry. His face was flushed and upon closer inspection as he made his way towards them, Sarah could see his left eye twitching slightly.  
>He didn't even acknowledge Sarah but immediately began barking at Zareth: "Cadet, are you not aware that you were expected in the engineering lab at 1600 hours?"<p>

"I am aware." He responded calmly.

"And yet you are here chasing skirt!" He pointed towards Sarah and her eyes went wide in shock. "when you have specifically.."

"How dare you speak that way to us!" Sarah yelled back. "Is that the way a commanding officer comports? By disrespecting his cadets and making false accusations? You sir should be ashamed of yourself!" She was walking up to him, the fire in her emerald eyes burning while his were taken aback in surprise. "For your information!" She continued. "AD-MI-RAL Tsinsao" She made sure to spell this out too so that he could understand that this was coming for a higher ranked officer. "Wants to see the finished product for the series of recreational programs for the holodeck, or have you forgotten sir, that there is a deadline for it?"

"I.."

"Furthermore.." She interrupted. "As of now at this moment we are behind and since Zareth was involved in the initial engineering process with having drawn out the specifications, his help is required if we are to meet the deadline, unless of course you want to have that kind of publicity with the Admiral."

There was a sort of severity upon his face that Sarah had never seen before, and even though she was slightly intimidated, she did not back down.  
>"And that is how you interact with a commanding officer cadet? Do you realize I could have you suspended for the way you spoke to me just now?"<p>

Sarah walked closer to him, her chin up proudly in the air as she did so, never breaking eye contract. "You reap what you sow commander. You know, I use to look up to you. I use to think the world of you, your passion, your flare for programming. I don't know if you realize it but you were part of the source of my inspiration for the recreational series. I wanted you to be proud of me, to see that all the hard work and effort you put forth in your teaching really did make a difference and then..." She shook her head, anger no longer evident, but sadness. "It's like you're a completely different person now and the wonderful instructor that I knew has been replaced by this stranger who's out to get everyone. Who wants to be instructed by someone like that?"

The demeanor in Commander Denning's face was an ever changing mask of expressions showing frustration, anger, disappointment, and then nothing. There was no particular look upon his face and he said nothing more to Sarah, no apology, no more threats, but he did turn towards Zareth and nodded at him. "You are dismissed from the meeting today, but I expect to hear that you were in the holodeck lab." Then he left leaving Sarah and Zareth looking at him.

"You realize that we have to go to the holodeck lab now."

Sarah nodded but didn't say anything.

They walked in silence to the lab and found a couple of cadets there, one of them Zareth knew from the gaming experience he had to misfortune to encounter.

"Hey Sarah, you gonna do your thing?" Olsen yelled across the room. Seriously, was it too much trouble to walk over and talk to her in an efficient manner?

"You know it, you guys heading out?"

"Yeah, gonna get something to eat and call it a night, she's all yours though." He said gesturing to the holodeck.  
>Olsen and the rest of the cadets walked out while still chattering so a great silence befell them when they finally left.<p>

"You know." Sarah began. "I have not entered a holodeck since that incident."

He looked closely and her and realized she was shaking slightly. Zareth stood close to her and looked into her eyes, she was extremely unsettled.  
>"Will you be alright?"<p>

"I'm fine it's just that.." She took a deep breath and ran her fingers roughly through the hair hanging out of her ponytail. "I'm not a confrontational person but sometimes it's inevitable. If I had let that comment slide he would've just kept getting progressively worse."  
>Zareth understood then that entering the holodeck was not what had her in her current state.<p>

"He is still attracted to you it seems. Which makes me wonder, how is it that you came to find out that Vulcans are bonded at a young age?"

Sarah thought about it and then told him about the previous meeting with her and the commander and what he had said. Zareth lifted an eyebrow. "That was all he said?"

"Yes."

"And you verified this how?"

"I ran into the 'species of the galaxy' class and asked the instructor."

"You haven't taken this course yet?"

"No, I sign up for it next year." She was blushing now for she knew that while she was brilliant in things like programming, there were other subjects in which she was totally clueless at and to have Zareth discover this was a bit embarrassing.

"So, what did she explain to you?"

"Nothing really, cause I literally ran in asking if it was true that Vulcans were married at the age of seven, she said yes and she was probably going to explain more but I ran out of the class. Come to think of it, that was quite rude of me, but I was so overwhelmed ..I.." She looked over at him, her eyes pleading with his. "I am far from perfect as you see."

He shook his head, all the while never breaking eye contact with her. "I have come to learn that seeking perfection can be illogical for once you think that you have found it, you give up trying to improve only to fall short in the end. You Sarah Williams, while not the most logical of beings I have encountered, are emotionally sensitive and at times allow yourself to be engulfed by details while missing the bigger picture, yet you are kind, you show empathy which is a quality that many people lack, and while some see this as a weakness; I see it as a great strength. Right now you stood up to Commanding officer and I know that had he not been directing the majority of his aggressiveness towards me, you probably would not have reacted as you did; am I being presumptuous in assuming this?"

"No, that sounds about right."

She sighed loudly and took a seat in the controls station. Keying in rapidly as she always did and Zareth couldn't help but smirk while watching her. This was a perfect example of how she could become completely engulfed in a subject. The world could be falling around her at this moment and she probably wouldn't even flinch.

"It's done." She said after a few mere minutes.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Then my input was not required as stated to the commander?"

"I exaggerated a little bit, but we still have to test it, and I understand if you rather stay behind."

"Staying behind would be illogical for various reasons."

"Suit yourself" she said as she pressed a few buttons and the doors to the holodeck opened, she took her PADD with her this time. The familiar black room with gold lines soon faded and were replaced by a country scenery. They were standing on a hillside; wild flowers that gave off their intoxicating sweet scent all around them. Up ahead was a white fence and various cows and goats could be seen grazing. There was a barn a few feet away, a dirt path that led into the direction of a small farm house just beside it.

"What is this exactly?" Zareth commented as they walked towards the house.

"20 century Earth. This is what was termed: 'country living' It was a simpler time in Earth's history, I rather envy it."

Zareth agreed and both disagreed with this viewpoint for simple did not always mean better.  
>They walked into the small farm house and Sarah was checking items off on her PADD in accordance to what was programmed.<br>"Is there anything in particular we should be looking for?"

"We should've been welcomed with the smell of home made pie." and as she said this, the smell began to waft into the room. She took note of this and then made her way into the kitchen, put on the oven mittens and opened the oven door.

Zareth should've looked away when she bent over to take out the pie, her pert bottom swaying as she did so made him very aware of his dormant desires, but nobody was there to see him anyway. She placed the pie on the trivet and took off the mittens.

"Coming here wont be a complete waste, I'm going to make some tea as well so you might as well take a seat and get comfortable."

He saw that there was a nook on the far right corner of the kitchen with a small table and two seats, but there was also a small sofa near the window that had a wonderful view of the hills and the blue sky. The curtains adorning it were yellow with various fruit patterns, it all looked very inviting, but particularly the sofa. It would be more comfortable for them to discuss what he had intended to in his quarters there.  
>He sat and watched her tend to the tea, observed how she carefully sliced the pie and placed it on antique porcelain dessert plates. Living in this manner with her suddenly seemed extremely possible, and he understood why this era held a unique charm to humans. She smiled warmly as she placed the tray on the table next to the sofa. "Be careful, the tea is very hot."<p>

As soon as she sat down beside him, he reached out his hand and gently took hers in his. He leaned forward so that they were very close together. "There is much I would like to show you."

"Show me?" She whispered.

"It will be easier instead of having to verbally explain. I wish to mind meld with you, you do know that Vulcans are capable of telepathy don't you Sarah?"

She blinked a few times and then stuttered, "I uh.. I've heard something like that."  
>He graced her with a small smile. "It seems I will have to give you what humans like to term: 'A crash course' in Vulcan culture and mannerisms, did you not wonder why I did not want you to touch me when we were in the gaming holodeck?"<p>

Her eyes went wide in realization. "I.. I thought that you just didn't want me, a mere human to touch you."

He shook his head as his thumb began to make small circles inside her palm. "That is very far from the truth Sarah. What do you feel when I do this?"  
>She concentrated on the sensation and then smiled up at him. "It's pleasurable."<p>

"It is the human equivalent of kissing."

She audibly gasped as her eyes grew wider. "GET OUT!"

He raised an eyebrow, not letting go of her hand. "And what? Milk the goats? Wouldn't you rather I finish my explanation?"

"No I mean.. Did you just say a joke just now? Really? Oh my gosh! Is that what we were doing?"

He raised his eyebrow again, "Yes, I just said that. Our first time doing so was during the awards ceremony when you were arguing with Commander Denning."

Her mouth hung open this time, it was quite unbecoming. "But, I don't remember.."

"You took hold of my hand, probably on some pretense to steer me away from the room since he wanted you to stay, but it led to something quite different."

"Oh my god!" She leaned back against the couch, apparently rethinking the event. "We made out in front of commander Denning!" Suddenly she burst out laughing, so much that she began to turn red and he began to feel her hands again and look at her face to make sure she was indeed alright.  
>"I can see you find the situation humorous."<p>

"Oh come on Zareth! We made out not only in front of a commanding officer, but in front of Star Fleet honor pupils, other instructors oh and in front of Admiral Tsinsao too, you don't find that at least some what amusing?"

"Perhaps, but I would've preferred if it happened under different circumstances."

She looked into his eyes and began to trail down his fingers with her own; she leaned forward so that her lips were just inches away from his. "You mean like this?"  
>She began to stroke a little more firmly and she smiled when she saw that he had closed his eyes.<br>"Do you like this Zareth? Am I even doing it right?"

He made some kind of sound that was a mix of a growl and a groan, but then took a deep breath and actually spoke this time: "You are a natural."

She loved seeing his reaction to her touch, it made her stomach flip realizing she wanted more. She pressed her lips against his and gaged his reaction. He did not respond initially so she tried again.

"Just follow my lead" she whispered in between kisses and he gave an affirmative grunt as he tried to mimic her movements.  
>She had to admit it wasn't as great as she was expecting it to be so she began to stroke his fingers again and that caused the reaction she had wanted. His kissing was a bit more aggressive and suddenly he withdrew his hands from hers and brought them up to her temple. There was a pulse of pleasure that shot throughout her entire body and she let out a loud groan.<br>Zareth purred at the vibrations he felt from her groan.  
>Her hands were rubbing his back and without realizing when it had happened, she was now laying down on the sofa while he lay on top of her. Her hands traveled from his back to his neck, his silky hair felt so smooth. At one point her fingers brushed against the tip of his ear and gasping; he removed his lips from hers and bit down on the area between her neck and collarbone.<p>

The cry that she let out brought him back to his senses and he pushed himself off of her. "Did I hurt you?"

He immediately looked to see how badly he had injured her and while the area was an angry shade of red, he had not managed to puncture her skin.  
>"It's ok Zareth, she said cradling his face in her hands. It just took me by surprise; it was a good kind of hurt."<p>

He had misjudged how being with her in this manner would affect him, if not for her cry; he could've easily engaged in other actions. It was incredible to think that someone as controlled and calculated as him would be so willing to lose control in an instant for he had enjoyed it much more than he could've ever imagined.  
>He was breathing hard and had his eyes closed as if trying to regain control. Sarah realized this and although she wanted to continue where they had left off; she realized that it might be going against his principles so she didn't push it.<p>

"Are you ok?" She asked when he finally opened his eyes.

"More than you know." He said and graced her with a small smile as he again placed his fingers on her temple. "Now, it is time I show you some important details concerning my past, and events that helped construct who I am today."


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok, so I decided to try something different with how the mind meld works. I just really wanted to do something different.**

Sarah was standing in the middle of an empty white space, she looked around and saw nothing at all, was Zareth doing the mind meld right now? She didn't know what was going on and then Zareth suddenly appeared before her, his arms crossed in front of him and he was wearing brown and green Vulcan robes. "I am here." He said.  
>"I wish for you to see much and I will be beside you throughout the process."<p>

She looked at herself (still wearing her uniform) and then at him. "I don't get it, are we still in the holodeck?"

"We are. Our minds are one and what you will see are projections based off of my past memories. If there is anything you wish not to see, just tell me so and we will skip ahead. After this occurs you in turn can show me anything that you wish, but only if you want to." She nodded and understood that what he was really saying was: "I'm showing you intimate details about my life, but I also want to see yours." Which was more than fair.

She nodded and the white room faded into darker colors, jagged rock formations and endless dunes of sand. There was a storm of sorts and it was violently whipping sand towards them and yet not a hair moved from either herself or Zareth. She looked to the direction where he was looking and saw a young boy curled up on his side. Her eyes went wide and she lifted her free hand to her face. "Oh my.. who is that?"  
>He led her towards the body, the young child trembling every time one of the winds whipped by him.<p>

"That would be me when I was younger."

Sarah gasped. "What were you doing out in the desert by yourself?"

"Every Vulcan must do this." Was all he replied, and the image faded slightly. It was daytime now and there were various Vulcans dressed in the finest clothes Sarah had ever seen, in the center were two young children one of which was Zareth. They were doing the hand thing he enjoyed so much except their fingers weren't moving and they were just staring at each other with no particular expression on his face but the girl looked almost angry. An old looking Vulcan came up to them, said a few words that she didn't understand and the children repeated it to one another.

"This is the bonding ceremony Sarah. It was arranged by our parents; her name is L'Rii. It is what on Earth is considered "Marriage."

"You two didn't.. I mean, you're so young!"

Zareth looked at his younger self. "No, that did not occur until I was twenty one years of age. I will not be displaying the memory to you."  
>Sarah scoffed. "Thank You, I'd appreciate it if you didn't."<p>

"It wasn't what you might be thinking. It was not an emotionally connecting experience as humans understand it to be. It was based off of a need and nothing more for my people encounter this every seven years after they're of mature age."

Sarah shook her head. "Why every seven years? What happens to you?"

"I will show you."

The fancy Vulcans faded and then she saw Zareth, he looked to be around fourteen rather than twenty one. She jumped back when he picked up a chair and threw it against the wall with such strength that it literally disintegrated into splinters. Like a man possessed, he destroyed everything in sight. He was growling like an animal and at one point he threw himself against the wall too.

"What's happening to you? Why are you doing this?"

"It is pon farr, the blood fever. Every Vulcan endures this insanity every seven years and must mate or die."

"Mate or die? Sounds like a pick up line human males use."

He lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah... it's lame I know, and unless you were showing me this I'd assume that you..."

"There are other ways to make it subside. Profuse meditation has worked for some in the past or fighting."

"Wow, that sounds so violent for such a peaceful race like yourselves."

"Yes, we are not proud of it, and very few outsiders know of this; I trust that you will now keep it a secret as well."

She moved closer to him and looked directly at him. "I will never tell another living soul what you're showing me right now, you have my word. I have to ask though, were you like this because of this blood fever or was it because L'Rii didn't.."

"She must endure the blood fever as well, but she still purposely delayed her arrival, and there was one occasion where she didn't show up at all and meditation was my salvation."

"You couldn't just take matters into your own hands or find something to alevi..?" She blushed as she asked this and even more so when he seemed confused by what she was saying so she steered it to a different topic. "Forgive me Zareth, but it sounds like you both didn't have a very good relationship."

"It is the Vulcan way and while some go into the arrangement willing to make it work, she did not."

"How about you? How did you feel about the arrangement?"

"I tried on various occasions to solidify our bond especially when she left planet to Betazed on a project she was working on. The end result was that it had weakened to the point of no longer existing. It was only later that I came to find out from her father that she had taken another mate, a Betazoid."

"She played you." Sarah said in a whisper.

"Playing had nothing to do with it I assure you Sarah."

"That's not what I mean, It's an expression used when a person is unfaithful."

Zareth seemed to think about this before replying: "In that case; I got played."

"Would you like to see my family Sarah?"

"I would indeed!"

He nodded and the image faded yet again to a home. The floor looked like marble but not shiny, they were sitting on chairs that looked similar to wicker. Two older looking Vulcans with bits of grey in their hair were to Zareth's right. She could see that Zareth picked up most of his looks from his mother, she looked so calm and collected just as he did, and then there was another who was younger and looked a lot like Zareth too, and he was speaking directly to them.

"Is that your brother?"

"Yes, he is twenty two years younger than myself."

Sarah thought that Zareth looked more handsome between the two, although his brother had a 'bad boy' look to him that could be viewed as attractive. She thought it strange that his brother actually held the appearance of annoyance on his face.  
>"It looks like he's arguing."<p>

"My brother has had issues with regards to controlling his emotions; I can see this is evident to you as well. He no longer lives on Vulcan and spends much of his time off planet with a team of architects learning design patterns from different species on other planets."

"You're parents seem nice and are not even reacting towards him."

"Yes, this is why I chose this particular memory to show you. They are logical beings with much patience when you consider the trials our family has endured." He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. "I believe they would welcome you despite not being Vulcan, I know this is a concern for you."

She nodded. "Family is important to me Zareth. I wish for my own family some day. A long time ago I thought I had found the person to do this with but..."

"Do you wish to show me?" He asked almost too eagerly.

She seemed unsure but then nodded. "What you will see will not be pleasant but I feel you need to see what I went through. What do I do to show you just?..."

"Think about a memory, any memory you wish to share."

Sarah closed her eyes and did so, and they were in a grocery store. A tall handsome human with yellowish hair and blue eyes stood behind Sarah admiring her but when another female walked past, he turned his stare towards her in a longing fashion. Sarah was talking having taken notice of this: "We've been together for almost ten months already, where is this headed?"

"Sarah..." He said in a condescending fashion. "We're in a grocery store, is this really the time or the place?"

"You always say that to me and I've had it! When are we going to talk about this, because there never seems to be an appropriate time for you."

"That in itself should tell you not to bring it up at all."

She scoffed and brought her hands up in the air. "I'm done, I don't need this from you."

She was walking away when he grabbed her by the wrist hard and banged her up against one of the shelves, it must've hurt her for she cringed in pain. He had her pinned and for some reason, nobody chose to walk down that particular isle and break up the scene. He looked like he was about to hit her, but then he crashed his own lips against hers in a brutal fashion that made her sigh in shame and close her eyes simply from seeing it again in memory. He pulled away and wiped his mouth as if he had been disgusted by the kiss and pointed towards her in a menacing fashion: "You will never leave me, is that understood? Never!"  
>Sarah grabbed a box of cereal from the shelf and threw it at him forcefully where a loud "SMACK" was heard when it landed on his face. She watched stunned as blood began to trickle down his nose and she ran out of the grocery store. The memory shifted to a different location, they were now in a building of some sort and the same yellow haired human was standing with a vase of flowers apologizing. He kept saying: "We will always be together."<br>Zareth looked over at Sarah at this point, unable to believe that she allowed herself to be involved in such a dysfunctional relationship, but at the same time it explained a lot about her. Why she kept to herself instead of being in the company of others and why she was so emotionally sensitive at times, especially when she felt she had done something wrong.  
>"I believe I have seen enough." He said gravely. Sarah nodded and they were back in the white open space looking intently at each other.<p>

Zareth reached out for her hand which she gladly gave, she liked that he always wanted to touch her, it made her feel cared for. Once their hands came into contact, there was a warm yellowish glow emitting from their joined hands, she looked up at him in question and without asking he answered:  
>"It is a sign that our minds are compatible with one another, this glow represents the mental desire I have to want to meld with you permanently."<br>They were quiet for a while and then Sarah boldly wrapped her free arm around his body and the glow spread. She could feel his warmth all around her, and she closed her eyes to savor how pleasant she felt wrapped up in it. She could even hear what seemed to be whispers of : "Mine" and "Forever"  
>Never had Sarah felt the need to be with someone so much, she needed more and without realizing it, her hands had been lowering ever so slowly down his chest and towards the opening of his robes, she wanted to feel his skin with utmost urgency and when her fingertips pressed against his naked skin, the sensation rippled so powerfully that even as he sat in his physical state on the couch with her, he pressed harder against her temple and pushed himself ever closer to her, but then his mental self grabbed hold of her hand, putting a halt on her exploration of him.<p>

"If I lose control in this state, we will be bonded; Married Sarah, and while I can tell this is something that you desire as much as I do; I also can see that it is too soon for you at this time."

She looked at him, and he in turn marveled at the beauty she held both physically and mentally.  
>"You're willing to wait aren't you? I don't even need to ask, it's like I already know."<p>

He nodded, "I am. We will take part in this courting business humans conduct but only for so long…" He ran his fingertips against her cheek and then brushed them against her lips. Sarah closed her eyes at the sensation and moved forward to kiss him but he backed away.  
>"We mustn't, not in this state."<p>

She sighed heavily but nodded in agreement.

"Zareth, I'm still confused about something though, how many times have you gone through pon farr, the blood fever you speak of?"

"Six times, the first time being when I was twenty one as you saw."

Her eyes widened. "SIX! Holy geez, how old are you Zareth?"

"I am sixty years, eleven months, fourteen days old."

Her mouth hung open as she looked him up and down. "H... ow, but you look like you're in your late twenties or early thirties!"

"Vulcans have a longer life span Sarah... and stop thinking that way, this does not change the way I view our arrangement nor should you allow it to change your view point either." He held her fully in his arms and looked her directly in the eye. "I want you Sarah Williams to be my bonded and we will work together to reach that goal no matter the obstacles that we might face."

The last thing she felt was the glow growing even warmer, it was now encompassing every inch of her being and then they were back on the couch. The shock of it was too much and Sarah found herself gasping for breath. Zareth was there beside her and he quickly held her against him. "This is common after a lengthy mind meld; I might've extended it longer than I should've.

Sarah closed her eyes and held on to him tightly, knowing that her life would irrevocably change forever from this moment on.


	12. Chapter 12

Zareth and Sarah had been in the holodeck for approximately four hours and twelve minutes so that when they finally exited it was already well into night time. To Sarah's surprise there was no commander Denning lurking about to verify whether they had really been in the lab or not so they walked in peaceful bliss out of the lab.  
>"I'll walk you to your quarters." Zareth suggested, but Sarah gave him one of her sly smiles that he knew meant she had something else I mind.<p>

"I think I should walk you to yours, I have to admit that I'm rather curious to see what it looks like." She said.

He nodded; there would be nothing wrong with showing her around, especially in this stage in their relationship. He punched in his code when they got there and the door slid open to reveal what Sarah had already imagined would be an immaculately clean and organized room. He had actually structurally organized all the items in his room so as to make use of the most minimal space and Sarah chuckled to herself as she looked around from his stacked book shelf to his small kitchenette, and slightly blushed when she glimpsed over at his single bed.

He took note of this and couldn't help but feel his own lips turn up into a small smile; she looked so lovely when she was flustered. The pale skin around her cheeks would take on a radiant pink, and she would nervously bat her long dark lashes. Never would he have imagined that another being could produce such an effect on him, no matter how often it happened, it never ceased to fascinate him.

"That is where I sleep Sarah." He teased when he saw that she was still looking at his bed. Her blush turned crimson and she nervously looked away. "I figured as much." She finally managed to say.

"So this as you see are my quarters, it is not comparable to the dwelling I had when I lived on Vulcan but a cadet does not need much for I personally seem to spend only 14.7 % of my time here."

"I think it's lovely." Sarah said in a whisper.

Zareth looked over at her and wondered why she was acting so restrained now in his quarters and yet was so bold when they were in the holodeck. He quickly sought out her hand and began to make small delicate circles inside her palm.  
>"I'm glad you find it acceptable."<p>

He let go of her hand but then lifted her chin with his other and looked into her eyes before gently leaning forward and placing a small peck on her lips.

Zareth had underestimated the effect that this human show of affection would have on him again for as soon as their lips united, he felt the inner passions inside him demand more, and when Sarah led the small peck into a more deep movement, he felt his arms automatically embrace her closer to him.  
>This was every kind of right. Nothing had ever felt this way for him before Sarah; ever. The physical acceptance paired with now knowing that her mind was just as extraordinary as well was overwhelming and he could feel that control was quickly escaping his grasp and yet he did not care. There could be nothing wrong with being with Sarah here, now, like this.<br>Without even noticing it, he had been leading Sarah towards his bed and he only realized it when she had toppled over it with a squeak and then a laugh as they both landed.  
>The look in her eyes spoke volumes to him; he would make her his no matter what he must endure.<p>

She was the one who re-initiated the lip kissing that was becoming more intricate. He felt her mouth open slightly and something told him that he needed to do the same, and when he did; she had intertwined her tongue with his in such a manner that sent his blood racing throughout his body almost as savagely as when he had to endure the throes of his blood fever.  
>The pleasure of it was blinding, so much that he pressed himself hard against her and growled as he fumbled and ripped through the fabric of her sleeve to get access to her shoulder, the delicious pale skin just begging to be bitten, and so he lowered his mouth towards it and did just that.<br>Sarah did not cry out this time, but did gasp his hair tightly while running her fingers through it. She would definitely have to cover up his markings with a scarf the next day.

He kissed the mark and was making his way up her face again when his computer began to beep in a most annoying manner. He exhaled deeply and pressed his forehead against hers. She was giggling and he could not understand why she found their interruption humorous, it was completely illogical and if anything, she should be having one of her emotional outbursts because if he were human, he would most definitely be having one at this moment.

"Do you need to get that?" She asked while still smiling.

"No." He stated simply while returning to her mouth, trying to reinitiate what they had begun.

She mumbled against his lips and he backed off the kiss. "What if it's important? Do you normally get calls at this time of night?"

"I do not." He said, his eyes dilated with lust and the tips of his ears a dark green hue.

"Do you mind?" He asked.

"No, you should get it; might be important."

He continued to look deep in her eyes and answered: "You are important too."  
>She smiled and teased: "Next time, turn off your computer when I'm here." He nodded. "affirmative." And then most grudgingly got off of her to answer his call. He took a deep breath and tried to resume his normal stance when he answered. To his unexpected surprise, he was greeted to the sight of his dear mother.<p>

"Zareth my son; I…. " She blinked twice but showed no other signs of shock. "What is the matter with you son, are you ill?"

"Far from it mother, I have never been in better health."

She slanted her head and looked over at him carefully when realization dawned on her.  
>"You have found a bond mate, haven't you?"<p>

Meanwhile Sarah could hear his conversation all the while and was trying her hardest to suppress her laughter. He could hear her do this which made speaking to his mother with a straight face all the more difficult.  
>He nodded. "I have. The inquiries that you had planned to make on my behalf with regard to finding a suitable match will no longer be necessary."<p>

"Why did you not say so before my son? We need to make arrangements; you must speak to your father as well for this is a family affair that we must plan."

"The discovery of our compatibility to be bond mates was rather recent although the companionship she and I shared as cadets has been leading up to this eventuality and has been ongoing almost since my first arriving here at StarFleet."

With the way he worded this, also adding to the fact that his mother was extremely sharp especially where Vulcans were concerned; it was not hard to put two and two together.

"Ah, she is not Vulcan."

"No, she is terran; I wish for you and father to meet her. I think you will agree that I have chosen well."

She seemed to think about this for a moment and then nodded. "I will inform this to your father and he will be contacting you with a date and time for our arrival on Earth. I trust you are continuing to comport yourself and are honoring our ways, yes?" She asked while lifting a knowing brow at his disheveled hair and swollen lips.  
>He bowed and continued to look extremely calm despite feeling the heat of being disciplined by his mother even as a full grown adult who no longer even lived on Vulcan. The feeling was very similar to what humans termed as: 'annoyance.'<p>

"Yes mother, please send my regards to father."

She lifted her brow yet again and said: "I certainly shall." And then the screen was clear.  
>He too turned off the monitor and spun around towards Sarah to find that she was already standing behind him, an apologetic look on her face as she was about to speak.<br>"Please do not apologize." He immediately said.

Her mouth still hung open and she quickly snapped it shut. "How did you? Am I really that predictable?"

"I cannot speak for others but I have spent enough time observing your mannerisms to conclude that you were about to make that attempt. Speaking truthfully, I am rather glad she contacted me when she did for now she knows the complete truth and this is a step closer to our union."

She nodded and smiled up at him. "You're so wonderful Zareth, sometimes I feel like this is all just a dream and I'm going to wake up and none of it will be real."

"But it is real, and you and I have found each other."

She smiled and was extending her arms to embrace him but the sleeve of her uniform which was being held together by a single thread gave way and it slid off her arm and on to the floor.  
>She looked down at it and then up at him before she started laughing.<br>It was not often that Zareth heard Sarah laughing in such a manner but when he had the chance of seeing it, he thoroughly enjoyed it. She always seemed to look her best when she laughed or gave a genuine smile.

"Ok, alright! Everything seems to be signaling that I need to head on out." She picked up her sleeve and folded it up before placing it in her pocket. The marks on both her arm and collar area visible. Zareth took note of this and walked over to his small closet.  
>"You should wear something to cover yourself up; there are cold winds at this time of night." He took out a black looking crocheted item that was something between a scarf and a shawl with intricately woven yellow and green threads. He placed it around her and marveled at how the black and yellow brought out the emerald in her eyes. If they were ever to produce offspring some day, he hoped that they would inherit their extraordinary color.<p>

"You can keep this for it looks far better on you than it does on my person."

She held it tightly against her and graced him with a wide smile. "This is beautiful Zareth; I will treasure this gift."  
>She turned towards his door and then looked back at him.<br>"Will I see you Tomorrow?"

"I will be present at the study lab at the usual hour; we can perhaps partake in a recreational activity afterwards if you wish."

She smiled. "I do indeed, I'll see you then."  
>She turned then was gone, leaving Zareth feeling weightless and in need of much meditation.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah wore the scarf-shawl all day. She got several compliments on it which made her mood all the more pleasant. Several people gave her bewildered looks for it seemed that she could not stop smiling, except for when programming class had ended and commander Denning called for her to stay afterwards.

She made her way down towards him, trying to brace herself for whatever attacks he had in store, and unconsciously wrapped the shawl tighter around her person. Commander Denning took notice of this and when she asked: "You wanted to speak to me sir?" He could not stop himself from asking: "What is that thing you're wearing cadet? I have never seen anything like it."

"That's probably because it's from Vulcan, Zareth gave it to me."

The commander quickly lowered his stare and cleared his throat before changing the subject completely. "Cadet, I owe you an apology."

"Yes, yes you do." She made sure to keep a serious face despite his wide eye look of shock at her reply.

"Things for me have not been easy as of late and I'm not using that as an excuse for my behavior towards you or cadet Zareth because I know that I have been out of line and it took you to point it out to me the other day to realize it. Whatever you and the cadet do is your business so long as it doesn't interfere with your work and your projects nor goes against regulations and so far you both have shown that you're capable of this."

He looked up at her in a manner that she had not seen in a long time. It was the real commander Denning from before he became the unrecognizable monster. It was the father figure she had looked up to back when she first started in the programming field, and until that moment, she had not realized how much she had missed him.

"Please accept my sincere apology cadet, and I hope that we can both work towards having the relationship we once shared."

She nodded and happily accepted his apology for she had not realized what a load this took off her (slightly bruised) shoulders.

"I have already spoken with your other half and he has agreed that if you consent; he'd allow for me to take you all out to a fabulous restaurant I know that caters to you Vegan types."

"It's not the Green Room is it? Cause Zareth and I practically live there."

"I think not. This is on the other side of town and is no where near close to campus."

"Oh, then I look forward to it!" She said excitedly.

"So next week Friday is my next available date, I hope that works; Zareth said it would be alright."

"That sounds alright for me as well, thank you so much commander, I really appreciate this."

"It's the least I can do to make amends cadet, the very least I can do." He said with a wide smile.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Study session at the lab lasted all of one hour and forty one minutes when Sarah and Zareth decided to call it quits before the evening engulfed the rays of the sun. They stopped by the green room and got some sandwiches and drinks and headed towards the park that faced the bay, but along the way they decided to take another route which Zareth assured Sarah was a shorter distance and even gave her the specific calculations to which she finally agreed. It passed housing developments that Sarah had never seen before and they all seemed to have plenty of land. There was one lot that apparently had been split into two smaller one's and had no houses built on it yet but it did have a for sale sign on it. The lot was littered with wild flowers and grass that had obviously not been mowed in a long time, it reminded her a little of the country scene she had recently programmed for the holodeck.

Zareth realized that Sarah was looking at this space that was for sale and he too observed it but from an engineering stand point. Tests would have to made to assure that it was structurally sound land fit for building then drawings would be have to be designed and spefications made to assure the utmost proficiency where modern housing was concerned.

"It's a nice bit of land isn't it? Maybe some day we can build a home on a property like this."

Zareth nodded. "Much inquiry would have to be made however, and it would be time consuming not to mention that we still do not know where we will be assigned to serve once we graduate, it could be off planet."

Sarah sighed, resigned at Zareth's straight forward, logical truth. "I know, but it's a nice thought. I guess the holodeck will have to do for now."

She kept walking forward past the lot of land but Zareth continued to look at the sign and saw that there was a number written on it. Apparently a Mark Yapper would have to be contacted in order to inquire about the land. Zareth repeated the number mentally in his mind, having immediately memorized it…. Just in case.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! And now.. another twist in the story! Well… Sort of…**

The following day, Zareth had received a call from his father where he informed him that he and his mother would be arriving on Earth at two day's time. Apparently they were eager to meet who their son had chosen as a bond mate but Zareth was not concerned about this although the same could not be said for Sarah who upon hearing the news began to chew on her bottom lip nervously and stare out blankly.

"I do not see why you choose to worry. I will list three reasons why you should not. The first one being that: You are a remarkable specimen where humans are concerned in both mind and body. The second one is that the manner in which you comport yourself is quite exemplary except for when you're scared, extremely excited or menstruating in which case you speak of things that are quite illogical but on the whole, what you say make's perfect sense most of the time."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Praise indeed."

"Yes, and I have not concluded yet for the other reason, and most importantly is that whether they accept you or not as my bond mate; I will still remain by your side for the choice in the end is mine and I have made it."

He lifted her chin and peered into her eyes and offered a small smile. "Please do not worry."  
>Sarah gave him a smile in turn and placed her hands on the sides of his face. He closed his eyes to savor her soft touch, reaching out to her hand with his own to caress her fingers.<p>

"Do you really mean that? If they tell you that they hate me and they will never accept our being together, would you really still feel that way?"  
>He opened his eyes and looked into hers, allowing himself to become lost in the pool of green and hints of blue that were her own. Her dark lashes blinked with uncertainty and he could see the corner of her eye slant downward as often occurred when she was distressed. He caressed the side of her face and then pulled back a strand of hair that had let loose behind her ear.<p>

"I will never lie to you Sarah, and I intend to keep my word should anything so negative occur which I honestly do not think will. To quote a human phrase, I think it is appropriate advice to say: 'Just be yourself.' "

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was Sunday evening, Zareth and Sarah had made plans to go into town together and do some grocery shopping at the local health food store. They were just past the gate and on the side walk when a very lucrative and immaculate looking hover car almost went past them but then halted loudly immediately and zoomed backwards to where they were.  
>Both Zareth and Sarah exchanged looks and Zareth stood protectively in front of Sarah when he heard the door of the drivers seat open. Out came a tall Vulcan dressed in knee high black workers boots, jeans and a black leather jacket with protective eye shades on. He leaned against the car and raised an eyebrow while gracing them with a smile of amusement.<p>

"Are you just going to stand there older brother or are you going to greet me?"

Zareth remained perfectly calm but Sarah's eyes bulged like saucers. Was this really Zareth's brother? He was so.. so..unexpected, and his behavior was so unvulcan like.

"Malek" Zareth began. "I was not informed that you would be visiting me on this day." He walked towards him and held up a hand. Malek looked at the hand in disbelief and then embraced him with such force that he lifted him off the ground and spun him around.

"Brother! It has been years since we've seen each other and that was how you intended to greet me? I am ashamed!"

"Sentiments not known to Vulcans I'm sure." He said as he patted his now wrinkled clothes.

"You know that's a damn lie Zareth! Vulcans are the most emotional of beings and to deny it would be... "  
>He looked up and realized that Sarah was standing there with her mouth agape. When she realized she was being looked at, she quickly closed her mouth, cleared her throat and stood up straight while trying to fix the shawl so that the healing mark near her collar bone would not show. Zareth looked over at Malek who grew concerned as he saw how his brother's eyes widened marginally and a smirk formed on his face when he took a good look at her. Zareth in turn made a facial gesture that was similar to a frown; he would definitely have to keep his eyes on his Sarah while Malek was present.<p>

"Brother, is this?"

"Yes, this is Sarah Williams. I assume our parents have spoken to you on the matter and that is why you're here."

"Sharp as always Zareth! It's not wonder you're the shining light in mother's eyes." He made his way towards her all the while the smirk never left his face. "My, my, those eyes" he said as he looked into them and then up and down her entire body. "You are remarkably beautiful for a human female." Sarah could feel herself blushing, for some reason; she didn't feel all that comfortable around this guy. "Uhh.. thank you?" She mumbled.

Malek turned to face Zareth who now stood beside Sarah closer than he probably needed to. "Brother, I am at your disposal until Friday. When our good father chose to tell me of your plans to choose a companion on your own without Mother's approval, I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to come to Earth and see what brought about this rebellious streak! I thought I must be rubbing off on you, but now that I see your lovely enchantress in person, your actions make perfect sense."

"I assure you it is not what you think Malek. Both Mother and Father will see that I have made a logical choice and as for you being here: The others from your ship do not mind?"

Malek motioned like it didn't matter. "I have not had leave in almost two years; they owe me that much and more. Were you all heading out somewhere?"

"Yes, we were just going to purchase nourishment for the week at the local health food store, would you like to join us?"

"Health food, yes." He said as if bored. "Tell you what. I'm famished for a hot home cooked meal. How about we drive into town, I'll treat you all to some nourishment and then I'll take you to the health food store, does this sound fair?"

Zareth looked at Sarah. "Do you mind this alteration in our plans?"

Sarah shrugged. "How often do we get to spend time with a family member of yours?"

Malek exclaimed loudly: "I like her already Zareth! Beautiful as well as obliging!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

They ended up going to a popular Lebanese restaurant in down town. They sat in one of the patio chairs outside while the two brothers played catch up. Listening to Malek speak made it extremely obvious that while his behavior was not exactly orthodox (especially by Vulcan standards) he was incredibly intelligent and knew his business well. He would go weeks in a ship without seeing anyone other than the normal crew, he being the only Vulcan and since he already had a tendency to favor emotional mannerisms since he was young, being on this ship without Vulcan superiors breathing down his neck gave him leeway to act in whatever manner he chose to.  
>Despite the confinement of being in a ship for long lengths of time, he seemed to enjoy his work.<p>

"It's when you get these species-type that think their way is best and aren't open minded to other possibilities and you yourself as an architect know that you could develop a building that takes up half as much space and can be engineered to be three times as efficient. It really boils my Vulcan blood Zareth!" He said at one point.  
>Sarah simply looked on in amusement as he spoke. Zareth occasionally raised an eyebrow at her direction, and she tried not to laugh. Finally, their spread of food arrived and Malek was obviously not kidding when he said he was famished because their entire table was filled with different plates of food.<br>There were falafels, hummus with pita wedges, baba ganoush, lentils with roasted pumpkin, spiced rice, schwarma vegetables, sautéed vegetables in a garlic and yogurt sauce, and thick wedges of pistachio baklava.

Malek rubbed his hands together before making a final clap. "Well kids, dig in!"

They passed the food around and for the first few minutes nothing was said as they were busy having their fill. Malek was obviously the first one to begin conversation.

"So Sarah, how did you ever end up with my brother here and not a strapping, equally handsome…" "No offense Zareth," he added quickly. "human such as yourself?"

She thought about it for a moment and then looked up at him with a smile. "I wasn't looking for anybody. As a matter of fact, I would go out of my way to seek solitude."

"A bird like you?" Malek said unbelievingly. "What brought this on?" He said while slicing into his schwarma.

"I rather not say frankly, but my hiding was actually how Zareth found me because he was trying to do the same and he found my secret hiding place."

"The computer study lab." Zareth commented off handedly. "Hardly anybody goes there; they all head to the library."

"Yes, Zareth always was the loner type come to think of it, buried in his books. I'm sorry, go on my dear."  
>Sarah smiled and continued. "Anyway, he approached me one day and started asking me some questions, I can't even remember what it was now."<p>

Malek raised an eyebrow and looked over at Zareth. "You mean to tell me that my brother actually walked over to you and started talking? My brother who finds the company of a T'ringaluk plant more amusing than socializing with his classmates actually commenced…. " He shot a look at Sarah and then back at Zareth.  
>"You were smitten by her at first sight weren't you?"<p>

"If I.."

"No, no, no, no, You cannot convince me otherwise brother, I know you too well, and I can't say that I blame you for I might've reacted in the very same manner." He said offering Sarah a wide smile. He then leaned forward and before Sarah could act, he had moved the shawl that had fallen off to the side back in place causing her to gasp out loud.

"Sorry dear, that vicious love bite that my brother inflicted upon you is showing to the world."

"Malek!" Zareth growled. It was actually the first time that Sarah even heard him yell like that.

"What?" He said lifting his hands up in the air. "We're going to be family soon; it's ok for us to be straight forward with each other."

"You're out of line, and you know it!" Zareth retorted, his ears taking on a greenish hue.

Malek was grinning like a mad man, but then coughed and cleared his throat. "Forgive me Sarah, you must remember that I go day in and day out on a ship with nothing but crazy engineers and mad architects as company. I truly mean no disrespect; I just never thought I'd live to see the day where my brother would be so taken by another being."

"It is not one-sided I assure you, for I am quite taken with him as well." She said smiling at Zareth.

Malek continued to grin, all the while observing his brother as he remained completely expressionless and focused on his food.  
>"So have you two already…. OW!" Malek suddenly shouted as he patted his leg.<br>"You kicked me under the table Zareth!"

Zareth lifted an eyebrow while he continued to eat. "Did I? I'm sorry Malek, I sincerely apologize, it was an accident."

He looked at his brother disbelievingly and then grinned again as he turned to Sarah. "Did you teach him that?"

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "Now I understand what Zareth meant when he said that your parents had tremendous patience."

"Yes, our beloved parents! They'll adore you Sarah.. As much as conservative Vulcans can at any rate, just be sure to wear a turtle neck and you'll be fine."

"Ma…"

"Ok, ok,.. fine, enough with the bite teasing, I know."

They finished eating and walked down the streets of downtown to walk off some of the fullness from all the food, Malek making comments about the structure of the buildings as they went and Zareth adding his engineering standpoint on occasion so it came as much relief to Sarah when they finally made it to the health food store and bought their groceries.

Malek dropped Sarah off first who had to go to the holodeck lab to drop something off, he then parked near Zareth's quarters and accompanied him there. He looked around and admired the room as his boots echoed with each step he took.

"Very nice! Much better than the room I have in that flying tin can called a space ship!"

He looked towards the bed and then grinned at his brother before he threw himself on it.

Zareth looked him over, his face expressionless. "I really sometimes question if we're in fact related."

"Mmmmm your sheets smell like her." He said as he lifted the top corner of his bed spread and placed it over his face. "You're hopelessly in love with her aren't you?"

When Zareth didn't reply, he sat up on the bed. "She really has her claws in you doesn't she?"

"I wish you wouldn't make what Sarah and I share sound so violent and distasteful Malek."

"Because those bite marks weren't the effect of unchecked lust and passion."

"Nothing came of it, I assure you."

"I normally wouldn't question anything you say Zareth, but as of late…"

"Mother called when we were.. engaged."

Malek's eyes grew wide as realization dawned on him. "And that was how she found out wasn't it? She saw you in your state of disarray and put two and two together."

Zareth said nothing so this confirmed it to Malek. He stood up from the bed and walked over to him with admiration on his face. "Brother, I may have reason to look up to you yet."

If Zareth could roll his eyes he would've, instead; he turned around and headed towards his kitchenette. "Tea?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

That morning Malek came over and picked Zareth up at his request. As Malek drove he was simultaneously trying to push some of his sketches towards the back seat.

"This is a rather odd request you make of me, I assume there is some ulterior motive to all this?" Malek asked.

Zareth nodded. "I wish to acquire a lot of land that is for sale and since you have experience with doing this type of thing I think it logical if you were present and help me where necessary. Sarah however, does not know about this, so I would appreciate it if she did not know just yet."

"Land? What do you want land for?" Malek asked as he took a right turn.

"To build a house of course." Zareth said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Malek turned swiftly and Zareth had to hold on in order to not be tossed around.

"You, Zareth of Vulcan, want to build a house, here on Earth… Oh man, you really do have it bad. How many children are you going to have, four? Five?"

"That particular issue would still be sensitive to bring up to Sarah at this time, but I believe we would not have so many although the land would provide enough space if she were decide to have that amount."

Malek produced a sound between a chuckle and a snort. "I can't believe it, this conversation alone was worth my leave."

Zareth raised an eyebrow. "Will you help me with this or not?"

"Yes, of course I will help you."

They arrived at a small office where as soon as they walked in they could hear the sound of a man talking on the computer at lightning speeds.  
>"Seems the name matches the person." Malek mumbled.<p>

Mark Yapper motioned for them to take a seat, never once slowing the pace of his talking or taking a breath of air for that matter. After what seemed an eternity he finally ended the call and then began to rant about his business not going the way it should to which Malek quickly interrupted.

"I'm sorry, I have to be somewhere in exactly fifteen minutes could we just get down to business?"

Mark Yapper seemed flustered but then shuffled the papers in front of him and cleared his throat. "Well of course! What can I help you boys with?"

"We are inquiring in regards to a lot of land that is for sale near the bay area."

"Oh, around the new housing development? Yes, I know what you're talking about although I have to warn you in advance that the asking credits for that particular lot are steep."

"And who exactly is the owner of the property?" Zareth inquired.

"Old man Wenkles. He resides on 5th and central avenue. I personally think he's got an emotional attachment to that land and that's why he's unwilling to let it go so he's got this ridiculous asking price set up to dissuade anyone from even thinking twice about it."

"Is it possible to set up a meeting with this gentleman? Is he amendable to negotiating?" Malek asked.

Mark Yapper seemed to think about this for a moment. "You know, nobody has ever asked me that before, but I don't see why not, would you like me to set up a date for you gentlemen?"

"Please, and as soon as possible."

As soon as possible turned out to be later that afternoon and the house that Mr Wenkles lived on was rather shabby looking. He opened the door where a grunt and a huff were all the greeting that Malek and Zareth received. He motioned for them to follow him which was to a small room with hardly any furnishings that smelled of moth balls.

"Well, you all sit down now, aint gonna continue to grow!"

Zareth did as was told while Malek seemd annoyed but sat down eventually too.

"Mr. Wenkles, we're here about.."

"Yes, yes, I knows! You wants my land! I'm sure that Yapper told ya what I'm askin' and I wont be haggled with, its all or nothin!" He crossed his arms in front of him in an angry fashion and looked at the two Vulcans in an exasperated fashion.

Malek gave a small upturn of the lips and leaned forward.

"Mr. Wenkles, maybe if you understood why we want to purchase the land you would see reason, Zareth here; he's my brother and he and his fiancée want to get married but they can't because they don't have a place to live right now. They want to have lots of babies and pets and maybe even a couple of farm animals.."

Zareth cleared his throat at this point to which Malek successfully hid a smirk. "My point Mr. Wenkles is that they can't do this unless they find a lot of land in which to build on."

Mr. Wenkles shook his head and sighed. "I'd like to help ya boys, really I would but I can't lower the price."

Malek tried again. "I understand but what if I offer you an exchange in property instead?"

Mr. Wenkles perked up a bit. "Exchange you say? It's not on that desert planet you're all from is it?"

"Mr. Wenkles, have you heard of Deblis 7?"

"Heard of it? It's supposed to be the most up and rising lucrative planet of our time! Only select beings live there!"

Malek grinned at the older man. "What if I offered you an apartment on one of the most luxurious complexes on Deblis 7, could we close on the deal today?"

Zareth blinked hard a few times and looked at his brother disbelievingly but Malek did not meet his stare, his eyes were on the older man, watching as he stuttered in disbelief.

"Absolutely! I'd have to see proof of course, I'm no fool!"

Malek brought out his plans and his deeds proving that he did indeed own an apartment on Deblis 7. He then brought out his computer and had drawn up a contract to which Mr. Wenkles had signed almost too eagerly. Before Malek could even say anything, Mr. Wenkles was shaking his hand firmly: "A pleasure doing business with you fellas, a real pleasure!"

They left he shabby house and got into the hover car to which Zareth immediately asked: "How did you acquire such an asset or should I ask: Is it really yours?"

Malek turned to him: "Zareth I'm shocked that you would doubt me in such a way!"

Zareth raised a knowing eyebrow and Malek nodded. "I don't blame you but I really do own an apartment in Deblis 7, as well as own a building on Talis 3 and own miles of ocean on Zenon. Don't you see that my job permits me to invest in property before anyone else has a go at it?"

Zareth nodded as he began to understand what he was saying. "So this trade off I hope did not come at a great loss to you."

"Actually, that apartment cost me nothing, I know the woman who owns it very, very well."

Zareth took a deep breath and actually sighed out loud which made Malek grin. "You're Welcome. Think of it as my bonding present to you."


	14. Chapter 14

**I know it's been a while since I last posted. Between getting sick with the flu and my computer dying and ultimately having to get a new one; I haven't had much of an inclination to write. Well, anyway; here it is**.**  
><strong>  
>"Your skin is paler than usual, and the brilliance that is normally visible on your countenance seems to have dimmed, and.."<p>

"You know what Zareth, I don't need to hear this right now." Sarah said as she finger combed her hair to the left side, her fingers shaking all the while.  
>"I simply state these facts so that you realize that your emotional state affects the way you appear physically."<p>

Sarah turned around and took in a deep breath. "And what would you have me do Zareth? I'm not like you; I can't simply turn off and on my emotions. I am a mere human and don't possess that kind of control. I am nervous because I care to leave a positive impression upon your parents and your telling me these 'facts' don't make it any easier on me." Her voice was cracking towards the end and her eyes began to water.  
>"Maybe this was a bad idea Zareth, Maybe you can tell your parents that I had to leave unexpectedly or.." but before she could finish, Zareth grabbed her by the hands and led her towards the corner of his bed where they sat down. He looked deep into her worried eyes before lifting his hand and placing his fingers along her temple, the simple caress already bringing much relief to Sarah, she exhaled loudly and felt much of the stress drift away. She looked up and found Zareth's eyes looking intently at her. Unlike previous times where she usual saw arousal, this time it was total calm and a peacefulness that was obviously transferring to her for she could feel it.<br>He began to chant: "There is no need to feel nervous, everything will be fine."  
>She found herself chanting it along with him until she felt totally and completely at ease. He was about to remove his fingers from her temple when she suddenly reached up and grabbed a hold of his hand. She gave him a wicked smile as she brought his pointer finger towards her mouth. "Thank you Zareth, I feel as if I need to return the favor."<p>

He knew that now was really not the appropriate time to commence such activities, his parents would be arriving in twenty two minutes, and twenty seven seconds, yet once he felt the warm heat from her mouth envelope one, then two fingers, he could not find it within himself to halt her advances and instead emitted a choked growl from deep within his throat as his eyes rolled back. He could feel Sarah giggling even as she continued her assault on his hand. His breathing was becoming ragged and his iron tight control was giving way to his intense desire for her.  
>What was it about this human that affected him in such a way? Never would he normally comport in this manner, especially considering he was expecting his parents and his brother shortly. He should stop her, he should kindly tell her to cease this activity until there was an appropriate opportunity, yes; he would regain control.<br>Then Sarah began a swirling movement commencing from the tip of his middle finger and before he knew what he was doing; he had roughly thrown her towards the middle of his bed where he looked deep into her beautiful eyes before he began his brutal assault on her lips and neck. Sarah all the while urging him on with her moans of approval, the more they explored each other, the better it became. He could see the marks from where he had previously bitten her healing and barely visible, and although he had a strong urge to sink his teeth into her tender flesh again, he was able to restrain himself but there was no sign of ceasing any other activity and he didn't want to. The thought of not going further being simply unbearable and then the door to Zareth's quarters slid open.

"I thought I'd arrive early and... "

Suddenly both Sarah and Zareth's heads jerked up, her forehead roughly hitting Zareth's and causing him to turn away so abruptly that he ended up falling off the bed and landing on the floor with a loud thud.

Malek's face instantly went from shock to a large grin. He cleared his throat loudly and made as if he were going to leave. "You want me to come back later? You do remember that our parents are probably already on their way here though right? But I can stall them for you if you like."  
>Sarah's face was crimson as she hastily got up and headed towards Zareth's bathroom, once the door slid shut, Zareth marched over to his brother. "Have you been gone so long from civilization that you've forgotten that one normally knocks before they enter another person's chamber?"<p>

"But I did knock, and the door slid open." Malek observed his brother carefully and a small grin formed on his face. "Is that annoyance you're portraying just now? You're upset that I disrupted your activity aren't you? Or better yet let me ask you, what would've happened if I hadn't shown up just now?"  
>Zareth turned around and walked over to his kitchenette without saying a word. Malek following right after him. "I meant what I said though, I can steer our parents to a nearby restaurant or tea shop if you want. I mean.." He was leaning against the wall as he watched Zareth put the water kettle on the small stove. "You haven't telepathically bonded with her yet have you?"<p>

Zareth thought about whether he should answer him at all. He didn't feel that it was really any concern of his but Vulcan tradition would deeply frown upon his ongoing conduct with Sarah. Such activities could lead him to actions that were only intended for those who were bonded in every sense.

"I don't understand, she's agreed to be your bondmate, you've acquired property to make it possible for you two to settle down so what's keeping you?"

"Our parents have not met her yet."

Malek blinked. "So what? Their opinion is not going to stop you, I know it's not."  
>Zareth did not reply, it was eerie how well his brother knew him. "I do not wish to overwhelm her. Humans take bonding rituals differently than we do, they go through a courting period first."<p>

"Yet she is here ready and willing to meet our parents."

"The matter needs to be discussed between myself and Sarah when she is ready and not before." Zareth said in a way that meant, 'this is no longer up for discussion.'

"That's fine Zareth, continue to scurry around guiltily and pathetically hide your explosive passion for her."

"You are a fool Malek. Do you not understand that it is because of her that I choose to tread with caution on this matter? You do not understand that if I am too aggressive I will lose her. I forget however that you and I do not share same sentiments when it comes to the opposite sex. You take what you need and then disappear on your ship."

"Oh, are we starting this now brother?' Malek said bitterly, not at all controlling his annoyance at the way the conversation was headed.

"Allow me to ask you now." Zareth said lifting a knowing brow. "Why have you not bonded?"

"You know that would not be logical, I never stay on a single planet for more than six months and am constantly traveling on a ship with nothing but men as company. What kind of life would I provide for a bond mate under those circumstances."

"And yet that does not stop you from controlling your own passions and spreading your seed throughout the galaxy." Zareth replied calmly as if they were carrying on a normal conversation.

Malek growled at the implication. "How dare you judge me! At least I do not deny what I am! I do not deny what I feel behind the 'oh I am a Vulcan therefore I do not mask'" He was standing so close to Zareth that he could feel his hot breath as he yelled. "You my dear brother now understand that there are certain things we cannot suppress while I have discovered this long before."

Zareth looked up at him, and Malek swore he saw pity upon his face. "And yet, you refuse to claim responsibility for it." Before Zareth knew what had happened, he felt Malek's hand wrap around his uniform and gripped him up in the air. It brought back memories from his youth and when he would do this when he did not have his way.  
>It was in that moment that the door to Zareth's quarters slid open again and this time it revealed the entrance of both his mother and father dressed in fine garbs who remained totally expressionless at seeing the spectacle in front of them.<p>

His father turned towards his mother and raised a brow. "It seems we have arrived at the appropriate destination my dear." She nodded. "So it would seem."

Malek looked towards them and then turned back and sneered at Zareth before finally putting him down and letting him go. His facial features quickly changed however as he approached his parents.

"Mother, Father, I am most pleased to see you both."

The father stood tall in his dark green robes, looking Malek over before replying: "Why are you dressed in such a manner? Is that animal hide?"

"Imitation; honestly.. But enough about me, Zareth where did your darling female run off to? I really am sorry to have walked in on you both earlier."  
>At this statement the mother raised an eyebrow. "What is he speaking of Zareth?"<p>

"Nothing of importance I assure you mother."

As if on queue; Sarah emerged from the restroom, her previously ruffled uniform and disheveled hair smoothed out to reveal the beauty she normally was. She walked towards Zareth before facing his parents and offering them a small smile. "I am Sarah Williams and I am extremely honored to meet you both."

Upon seeing her, Zareth's fathers' eyes literally opened wide if even for a mere second being taken off guard on how incredibly beautiful the humanoid was. The dark silky hair, the pinkish hue on her flawless skin, and her eyes; such incredible eyes residing behind her long lashes. Yes, he now understood his son's behavior and wondered whether Malek's obvious emotional outburst when they had walked in was due to her.  
>He looked her up and down several times in a neutral fashion before looking directly at her face when he spoke. "My wife and I both agree that it is a pleasure to meet you as well."<p>

Sarah felt herself blushing, her cheeks growing warm at the way Zareth's father observed her, was it possible that he knew what they had been doing before they had arrived?

"Father, Mother, I had thought about making some tea, but it seems my small quarters would not do for appropriate conversation, there is a tea house not far from here if you do not mind the walk."

"We do not mind." The father said after he looked at his wife. "We look forward to learning more about you and your soon to be bonded."

Sarah smiled when they turned around. His father having openly said that they were to be bonded sounded as if it were an acceptance, maybe there wasn't that much of a need to fret over meeting them after all.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Tea had been a very simple affair, a large pot with finger sandwiches was ordered and Sarah learned much about Zareth's family. It was curious to see that during most of this time, Malek simply sat with his arms crossed in front of him like a child placed on time out. She was beginning to understand more and more why he chose not to live on Vulcan, his manner of comporting himself would probably cause his family a lot of unnecessary grief.  
>Zareth's mother was very quiet for the most part. Observing that whenever Sarah spoke, the look which Zareth bestowed upon her was something she had never seen her son do. To the casual onlooker it would not seem out of the norm, but she knew her son, and understood that what they shared was very serious. She in part could understand how it had come about. The girl was extremely attractive, probably the most attractive human she had ever seen if she were honest, and from the way she spoke, it seemed that physical beauty was not all she possessed for she seemed to have a thorough knowledge of Programming Dynamics.<p>

Both Zareth and Sarah explained how they had met (bypassing the holodeck gaming incident) To which led to questions of how she came about creating the recreational holodecks. It seems that Zareth's father was quite taken with her ideas and even requested a tour of the lab to which they all headed out to once they were done with tea.

Sarah showed him the controls room, explained as best as she could how everything worked and then showed them the holodeck room itself.  
>"May we actually go into one of the programs?" Malek asked.<p>

Sarah shot Zareth a look of concern to which gave her a reaffirming nod.

"Sure, I have three recreational types so far. I have the tropics which is like a beach type setting. There's the Japanese garden escape, and one of my favorites which is the country setting."

Malek raised an eyebrow towards his brother. "Really? very curious and what does that entail of?"

"Well, its very simple really. It's taken out of the 20th century North American lifestyle in the country."

"And would it happen to have say.. a barn with a nice house and plentiful livestock?" Malek inquired all the while looking at his brother who was in turn giving him a look of warning.

"Why yes it does!" Sarah replied excitedly, not in the least catching on to the exchange between Malek and Zareth.

"Fascinating! I say we see that one, what do you say Father?"

He raised an eyebrow at his son. "Whatever Sarah decides is suitable, it is her program after all."

Sarah quickly set everything up so that in no time, they were all walking along the hill covered in wild flowers. The air was crisp and the sunshine was warm against her skin. She took in a deep breath and excitedly trekked up towards the house.  
>Malek followed behind both Sarah and Zareth making comments all the while like:<p>

"Hmm.. good bit of land, reminds me of something I've stumbled across in my travels."  
>and,<br>"What a lovely house eh Zareth?, Although I could probably design something a bit more efficient, especially for a family with plans to expand."  
>At this both Zareth's parents looked at each other and yet Sarah carried on excitedly heading towards the barn first to show them the animals that were there.<p>

All in all the first meeting had gone better than expected and pretty soon they were leaving the lab and Sarah was bidding them a good day as she had other obligations she had to tend to.  
>They were back at Zareth's small quarters when Malek looked over at his parents and asked: "So, what do you make of Zareth's choice in female? Is she not everything you hoped she'd be?"<p>

"She is acceptable." The father said simply.

"Yes, and very attractive by human standards too." At this, all the men in the room looked away, not commenting on that particular subject. The mother gave a quick small smile at their reaction.

"So, we have your approval?" Zareth asked.

They both nodded. "Yes, I believe she will make a fine wife. The way she expresses herself demonstrated to me that she is of the nurturing type and will remain loyal to you which is what you seek after past events. Her mind is more advanced than the average human which is also acceptable. When will you come to Vulcan and partake of the bonding ceremony? I am available the following week if that is acceptable."

Malek made a choking sound which he covered up with a cough. "Zareth feels that he cannot rush this subject. Humans, we must understand partake in a courting ritual before they decide to bond."

The father raised a confused brow. "Whatever for? You both obviously have taken a strong liking to one another, I could sense it myself most acutely, why wait?"

"I need to discuss the matter with her first." Was all Zareth replied.  
>All was quiet for a few moments before Malek clapped his hands together loudly. "Right, so how bout we all take a look at the land Zareth plans to build his new home with Sarah on?"<p>

The father raised an eyebrow. "Land you say?"

"Of course!" Malek said almost excitedly. "Zareth wants to settle down right away and have many precious children with Sarah, so I hope you all are prepared to become grandparents in the very near future. Come to think of it; it's an almost exact replicate of the holodeck she created, isn't it brother?"

"This takes place after you've concluded your studies, is that correct my son?"

"Of course." Zareth replied. "I wouldn't conceive the notion of abandoning my studies."

The father nodded and then headed towards the door.

"Let's go see this land you speak of."


	15. Chapter 15

Malek was currently discussing what architectural structure was better suited for the house that would be built for Zareth and Sarah with his father as they walked around the grassy land.

"I've already started on the block plan, they will need at least five bedrooms to be comfortable, and it should be constructed in such a way where more rooms can be added should your son decide to have more than three children."

"I believe you are getting ahead of yourself Malek." Zareth commented, but the truth was that the idea of having small children with Sarah was very pleasing. He could already mentally picture her sitting in a rocking chair with a small child bundled up in blankets in her arms. She'd be rocking back and forth, as the child slept. It would have her eyes, and his ears.

"Hey! Vulcan to Zareth! Are you daydreaming brother?" Malek said as he waved his hand in front of his face.

"I was contemplating the.."

"But I already know what you're thinking about." He smirked as he looked towards his mother.  
>"Did I not say that he's got it bad?"<p>

"Malek, I do believe you've been out in space for far too long. Your sense of amusement is eerie and illogical. I believe that Zareth is doing right. I may not agree with this courting business; everything seems to be decided already. It would be illogical to court, but.. If for the human, than you must my son" She said as she now directed herself to Zareth. She then turned back to Malek. "When is your time to come? When are your father and I to expect news that you've settled down?"

Malek rolled his eyes. "We've been through this already mother, and I am most certainly not going back to Vulcan."

"I never said you should return to Vulcan, but the choice of finding your life mate is an important issue."

"Why?" He shot back. "Why can't I just be a free spirit?"

During the middle of Malek's heated rant, Zareth's communicator began to buzz. He hardly ever carried it with him, but he brought it along just in case Sarah needed to contact him. Just as he predicted, it was her and a sense of relief washed over him.

"This is Zareth." He answered as he walked away to a solitary area of the property.

"Zareth, where are you? I stopped by your quarters but nobody answered."

"My sincerest apologies we are at…" OH..right, she still didn't know about the land, what should he do? He certainly couldn't lie to her about it.  
>"We are on our way back, where do you wish to meet?"<p>

"That's what I need to talk to you about. I ran into Denning and he wants to know if we're still doing the dinner tonight. I told him that you had family visiting and he said to bring them along as well."  
>Zareth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had totally forgotten about the dinner that Commander Denning has promised them, they certainly couldn't back out of his good gesture.<p>

"Meet us at the central square in an hour's time; I'm sure my family will most graciously accept the invitation."

"Ok, I'll see you then."

As he was putting his communicator away, he could see Malek walking towards him with a wide grin on his face.  
>"You can't even stand to not hear the sound of her voice for more than forty minutes." <p>

The father raised an eyebrow and then looked over at his son Malek.  
>"My son, if I did not know better, I would say that you're exhibiting symptoms of jealousy towards your brother's new found arrangement with the human, but I know this to not be true for you are not capable of such emotions."<p>

Malek's eyes grew wide. "I am in no way jealous of my brother, on the contrary; I want him to be happy with the girl."  
>Zareth chose that opportunity to interrupt. "I hate to break up this fascinating conversation about myself and Sarah, but I believe that we must make our way back to Starfleet now; I had forgotten that Sarah and I had made arrangements to have dinner with Commander Denning. He has invited all of us so I believe we must go get ready."<p>

Malek looked suspiciously at Zareth. "Commander Denning; I look forward to meeting him."

**Yes, this was a short chapter, just a tid bit to wet the appetite before the following chapter. Also, I wanted to post this ASAP so that you'd all know that I haven't forgotten about the story and will continue to work on it.**

**I normally am not the type to ask for reviews but I will now just so I know that it's worth my efforts to continue with the story or not.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I want to thank everyone for encouraging me to continue with this story; it really does make a difference. The following Chapter is going to include a lot of craziness, but good craziness; hope you will get a chuckle out of it.******

**Oh! And if anyone happens to run into the Goblin King; I'm not writing Star Trek FF... Just FYI..**

Zareth and his family made it to the meeting point with exactly twelve seconds to spare. Sarah had already been waiting, and once she saw them coming, she turned towards them with a radiant smile that quite literally took Zareth's breath away. She was not wearing her customary uniform but a beautiful teal dress with lilac flowers printed, it really brought out the magnificence of her eyes.  
>She had let her hair down and the ends were slightly curled. He could smell her scent as he approached her and inhaled deeply; lavender.<br>It was at this moment that he suddenly wished that his family had not agreed to come along. He knew it was selfish and illogical, but nevertheless; the feeling was still there. All he could see at that moment was her smile, not even noticing the way both his father and brother both did a quick up and down swoop at her attire, nor how Malek smirked when Zareth approached her and ever so courteously held out his fingers towards her. She accepted the gentle caress of his fingers with her own; her eyes twinkling as if taunting him when the spark between them struck his being at the skin contact. "Yes you want more, but nothing can be down right now".

Zareth had to control himself from not letting out a frustrated growl, and instead swallowed the lump on his throat before looking her in the eye and asking in a shaky voice: "Are you well?"  
>She lifted a knowing brow, "I am, are you and your family ready?"<br>"I suppose." He whispered so only she could hear.

"So where is this Denning fellow? I'm most anxious to meet him!" Malek said as he walked right in the middle of Zareth and Sarah.

"Oh! That's right! He said that he'd meet us at the restaurant, he left early to get a table ready, and we should head out so we don't keep him waiting."

In no time they all shuffled in Malek's vehicle, a tight squeeze but Zareth sure wasn't complaining about the close proximity this enabled him to have with Sarah, and it certainly didn't go unnoticed to her that he would occasionally take the opportunity to caress her hands and arms discretely. At one point she looked up at him questioningly for it was so unlike him to be so expressive unless they were alone, yet his face remained completely impassive as if nothing were out of the norm.

They finally arrived at the restaurant and as they made their way to the entrance, they could already see Commander Denning sitting at the bar talking and smiling to a woman; a glass of amber liquid in front of him until he lifted it up and tilted it back, completely draining the glass. He then held it up towards the bar tender yelling: "Another my good man!"  
>Sarah's eyes shot open in alarm when he saw them arriving and swerved towards them with a plastered grin on his face. "<em>No. He. Didn't<em>." Her mind screamed when she realized that he was acting strangely.

"Sarah! Zareth Heeeeey! I just realized that your names sound similar!" He looked at Sarah longingly before speaking again. "I guess maybe it really is meant to be and heeeeey! Is this your family Zareth? Please introduce me!"  
>Malek was grinning since he had seen the way the Commander looked at Sarah, plus the comment confirmed his suspicions. He quickly stuck his hand out to the Commander "My good man it is an honor to finally meet you; I've heard nothing but outstanding things about you."<br>The commander's eyes twinkled as he placed his hand heavily around his arms and yelled at the bar tender: "Get me a drink for my friend here!.. Uh.. What do you drink? You a Romulan? I see that smile on your face! Don't deny it!" Malek's grin grew wider; this was definitely going to be an interesting night. 

"I'll have whatever you're having."

"A scotch man! That's what I'm talking about! Set my friend up here with a double!" He yelled again to the bartender. He then realized that he had totally neglected to introduce himself to the parents and turned around, almost stumbling over while Sarah and Zareth stood there exchanging concerned glances.

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners?" I am Commander Denning, and it is an honor that you all decided to join me today.. These kids are..."  
>He looked over at Sarah as if trying to find the words, his grey eyes piercing hers. "Truly amazing." Sarah began fidgeting slightly, she could already see where the night was headed and she suddenly wished that she had cancelled this dinner for another time.<p>

The one thing that could be said however was that Sarah was totally not expecting the reaction of Zareth's parents. She thought that they'd be insulted and request to leave immediately yet they acted as if nothing was out of the norm, simply watched everything that happened. She wondered if they were both having a telepathic conversation however since sometimes they would simultaneously raise their eyebrows at the same exact moment. She wondered if she'd share that with Zareth someday.

"So the Klingon says to me: "You wanna take this outside pal? And I say; we are outside you fool!" and, and, and, and,and.. .. The commander started to laugh so hard that they had to wait several seconds before he could continue his conversation.  
>At one point he looked like he was actually heaving, and all Sarah could do was look over at Zareth with an expression that said: "I'm so sorry that your family has to sit through this" Even though Malek was obviously enjoying himself thoroughly, even adding fuel to the flame by ordering more drinks.<p>

He finally calmed down from laughing so hard, his face completely red, and tears streaming down his face. He looked over at Sarah and his expression changed drastically. "Why couldn't we share what you and he share? Why couldn't you give us a chance?" He sat up straight and began pointing his finger at her. "It's because I'm old isn't it? Do you realize that you are the only woman who I've loved both in physical bea... beat..." Zareth instinctively reached out for Sarah, getting ready to dash out with her if need be. Denning blinked several times to try and accentuate the word that he couldn't seem to pronounce. It was then that Malek stood up and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Let's go shoot some pool; I'll buy you another drink." Even though he was following Malek, his gaze was still fixed on Sarah. "We could've had something special!" He then yelled out so loud that everyone in the entire restaurant turned from what they were doing to look at him. "I LOVE THIS WOMAN!"

Sarah in turn buried her pink face in her hands, not wanting to believe that this was really happening.

"Zareth, I want to leave; now!" She said as she stood up.

That was all Zareth needed to hear for he quickly pulled out her chair and helped her out of her seat. He turned towards his parents. "I'm sorry that you had to witness the Commander in such a state; I assure you he is nothing like this normally." The parents gave each other a knowing look but said nothing as they followed Zareth and his distraught future bond mate. He left Sarah outside momentarily before he dashed inside to where Malek was. Denning was currently leaning against the pool table mumbling gibberish while Malek was setting up for a game.

"I need the keys, you should drive him home; he is clearly intoxicated."

Malek scoffed. "You think?"

Zareth looked over at him and asked: "Will you be alright with him?"

"Absolutely! He seems like my kind of man!; I knew he would be the moment I laid eyes on him. Granted the admitting to everyone that he's in love with your bond mate was a bit awkward but I can get him past that."

Zareth gave him a serious look. "Malek, you bring him back to StarFleet unharmed, do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah.." He said as he threw him the keys. "Now go; You're disrupting my play time." He then leaned over and struck the balls with his cue with such precision that almost all the balls rolled into the pockets. Denning stood awkwardly, watching as all the balls rolled. "You.. you're good." He stuttered.

Malek smiled and looked up at his brother. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Zareth gave him a final warning look before dashing off. Once he got outside, he saw Sarah in tears and his mother actually consoling her by touching her shoulder. To him it was extraordinary for he had never seen his mother make physical contact with anyone other than immediate family. Even from where he stood he could hear her.

"I just don't want you all to think that his behavior represents how we all are; and I assure you that I am not that way especially in regards to your son for he means so much to me."

Zareth was so moved by Sarah that he hardly knew what to do. He was not accustomed to anyone showing such emotion towards him, his past bond mate certainly didn't, and to see it so plainly before him was both enthralling and unnerving at the same time. He walked towards her and upon seeing him Sarah quickly ran the short distance and latched herself on him, embracing him tightly for everyone to see.  
>"It will be alright" He whispered in her ear. "I promise."<p>

OoOoOoOoO

Zareth dropped off his parents at the resort they were staying at, promising to contact them first thing in the morning. Sarah was waiting for him in the car while he walked them to the lobby. Before they retired, the mother turned around to speaking to Zareth. "As your mother, I feel it my duty to inform you that the girl does sincerely hold strong feelings for you my son. I also saw that she was incredibly…" She tilted her head to the side as if trying to explain something she didn't quite understand. "Distressed that we would think ill of her. She need not worry my son, you have our blessing; I told her this."

"I thank you mother; again I am sorry that you had to witness my Commander in such a way."

This time it was the father who approached and interrupted. "He wanted your bonded, is that really true?"

Zareth nodded. There would be no point in trying to smooth over that fact; he practically yelled it from the roof tops.  
>His father raised an eyebrow. "I would be careful; your chosen one is extremely agreeable in appearance, he will not be the first nor the last. It is something to consider." He looked at his wife and then back at his son. "We will see you in the morning."<p>

Zareth made sure they had gone up the lift before heading back to the vehicle. In his mind he was going over what he needed to say to Sarah now, he had to tell her the truth, including his true intentions with regards to their future together. 

Once he got in the car however, all thoughts of conversation quickly vanished for as soon as he turned to face her; he was greeted with her embrace and the thrilling sensation of her lips pressing against his.


	17. Chapter 17

**And so we start exactly where I left off. **

Sarah was wrapping her arms around his warm body, it was all she wanted right now, was to feel the reassurance that he wanted her. The night had gone so overwhelmingly bad that she was losing sight of what she was doing. Her hand was running down his body and tugging roughly at his robes. Why did he pick tonight to wrap himself like a mummy with all those damn robes?  
>She let out a frustrated moan against his mouth; the vibration of it sent a shiver down his body. He had never experienced anything like it. He wanted so badly to continue despite being parked right in front of the resort where anybody walking nearby could see them.<p>

"Sarah," He mumbled against her mouth before he suddenly pulled away. "We cannot possibly do this here." And despite saying this, he intertwined his fingers with her own and began to send pulses of pleasure causing her to moan loudly.

Sarah looked at him dreamily before kissing his cheek and then working her way to his earlobe before she placed it in her mouth and began to twirl it with her tongue. Zareth's eyes rolled back and he began saying words in Vulcan which in turn caused Sarah to giggle.

"That's so hot Zareth."

"So is this." He replied and sunk his teeth near her shoulder. Sarah let out a yelp of surprise but Zareth quickly covered her mouth with his own. Sarah opened her eyes momentarily and saw what he meant by not doing this in this particular spot. There was a couple walking across the street but both were intently looking into the car, no doubt the movement having caught their eye. She began to giggle yet again against his lips, which caused him to pull away and lift what she swore was an annoyed eyebrow.

Trying to catch her breath, she let out: "We should do this someplace else." He looked into her eyes and then in the direction she was looking at and caught a glimpse of the couple now giggling while walking into the resort. He gave her a small smile before pulling away completely and starting the vehicle.

They drove in comfortable silence, but when Zareth turned on the opposite street that led back to Star Fleet her head shot up and towards him. "Where are we going? I thought…"

"I must show you something."

She looked confused as he drove the vehicle into an empty lot. Since it was night time she couldn't make out where they were at all.  
>She shook her head, "I don't understand what we're doing here Zareth."<p>

"Come; I will show you." He said before getting out of the car and opening hers momentarily. He helped her out and even continued to hold her hand as they walked on the grassy land. She smiled and looked up at him while smirking. It was rather romantic walking under the moon light, the soft chirping of the crickets heard in the distance, she almost had forgotten to inquire as to what was even the reason for which they had come here in the first place and then Zareth let go of her hand to bend over and pick up a sign that read "FOR SALE" but a sold sticker had been slapped across it. He held it up to her and asked: "Do you remember seeing this before?"

She slanted her head to the side, not at all remembering. "I don't.."

"Think back to one occasion when we were walking to the green room." He then extended his hand towards her face. "May I? It will be easier."  
>She nodded her approval and he placed his fingers on her temple. Instantly she saw the image of them walking together, and of her looking at the lot of land. Everything came back to her, and she began to remember that this was exactly what she had envisioned in a future home, but she also remembered that Zareth had seemed so ambivalent about it, and even reminded her that she shouldn't get attached to the idea of living in such a place for Star Fleet could send them out of planet at any time.<p>

She felt his hands release her temple and her eyes widened in understanding. "You didn't."  
>He took a deep breath and nodded once. "I did, and do you know why?"<p>

She didn't say anything other than look at him with her wide emerald eyes.

He boldly stepped closer to her and took hold her hand. "I want us to be together always Sarah. I have showed you from our previous mind meld that when I first came to Earth I did not plan on becoming attached to anyone. My whole purpose in coming was to fulfill my duty in becoming the best possible engineer since I felt that Vulcan limited me to a certain degree. I had heard that several Vulcans had attended Star Fleet and were extremely successful; I calculated and concluded that my chances of success here were 92.5% very decent indeed. I did not intend…" He then looked at the sign and then back at her. "But I want to so very much now."

"Want what Zareth? I've never known you to not be specific." She said in a teasing manner.

He lifted his hands and gently cradled her face within them. He looked deep into her eyes, allowing himself to become lost in the specs of green and occasional dark blue hue. "You Sarah. For you to be my bond mate. I want to marry you as humans would say. To know that we'll be together; always."  
>He gently formed circles on her cheek with his thumb, watching the patch of skin grow pink. He leaned forward and kissed the area, moving down until he reached her lips where they again became completely engulfed in the kiss.<br>He moved his fingers towards her temple and was suddenly engulfed with such an overwhelming emotion that it quite literally brought him to his knees. She followed after him, kissing him all over his face. She then looked into his eyes, the most beautiful smile on her face.

"Zareth, did you buy this land? For us?"

He held her close, kissing her back before he answered: "Malek bought it, as a gift."  
>"For us?" She inquired.<p>

He nodded.

She laughed. "I guess he's not such a bad guy after all. " He gave a small chuckle, which caused her to smile even more. "He has his moments."

"You haven't answered me." He said before he started kissing her again. She lifted an eyebrow at his statement. "I require something from you before answering."

"Sarah I.."

"Say It Zareth, I want to hear you say it."

"But you already know Sarah, you know that I love you, and this… " He said as he motioned towards the area around them. "Will be our home."  
>"I don't understand though, you had said.."<p>

"Yes, I know; but I believe that we can work our way around that. Lately I am starting to believe that anything is possible. A most refreshing thought when you consider what it could mean for us."  
>She smiled as she looked around. "I will say, there will be a lot of privacy since there is so much land separating the one lot from the other. Even now, we would be free to do whatever we wish and no one would. Ever. Know." She pronounced each of the final words with emphasis before she lay down on the grass, taking him with her.<br>She kissed him deeply, rubbing her hands down his back as he lay above her, and suddenly mumbled against his lips. "Yes."  
>He stopped abruptly and looked into her eyes. "Yes what?"<br>She giggled: "Yes Zareth; I will marry you."

His response to her declaration was to flip her over on the grass and suddenly tear off the top part of her dress, exposing her beautiful round breasts covered in a lacy teal bra. The sound of the fabric ripping caused her to giggle and exclaim: "That dress was a gift!"  
>"I shall replace it." He said before he sunk his teeth in her skin, this time close to her neck.<p>

"Sarah." He whispered in her ear. "I don't think I will be able to stop this time."

She looked into his eyes and pulled his face towards hers and said: "Then don't." Before she brought her hands towards his waist and started un wrapping his robes.

**You are so wishing that this story was rated M right now aren't you.. Admit; you are!  
>And there you have it; they're officially engaged, but will all continue as planned for our lovers? - Stay Tuned…<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

When Sarah woke that morning, the first thing she noticed was an odd sensation she had never felt before. The best way she could describe it was: Even though she had just woken up, it felt like a part of her mind had been awake long before the rest had been, waiting for her and when she finally did; it greeted her with warmth and a tenderness unlike anything she had known, and then that was when she realized that it wasn't really her mind at all, but…

She sat up quickly, looking around her surroundings frantically. She looked around at the small bed, the crumpled clothes on the floor, and then the events from the night before came into the forefront of her mind. Ah yes. It had begun in the grassy land of their recently purchased property, progressed in the car, and concluded in Zareth's quarters. She again felt the alien presence in her mind and it began to feed her even more images of what had occurred. This was quite odd for it was not something she was use to and it was also turning her on.  
>She bit the bottom of her lip to ward off a groan, she looked to her side to try and find Zareth but was perplexed to find that he wasn't there. She began to feel a bit uneasy at her situation and got off the bed, wrapping the bed sheet around her otherwise naked body. Her eyes searched around anxiously and then she felt it again, within her mind.<br>"Keep calm; I will be there momentarily."

He eyes sprang open, was that Zareth? She sat on the edge of the bed trying to figure everything out when the door suddenly slid open and Zareth came in carrying groceries.  
>He placed them near the kitchenette and then immediately came over to her, quickly seeking out her fingertips with his own.<p>

"Good morning." He said as if having her naked in his bed was an everyday occurrence.

She raised an eyebrow before quickly leaning forward and stealing a kiss from him.

"Now it is."  
>She said before she got up and began to peek inside the bags.<p>

"Thank goodness, you brought coffee." She said as she pulled out the tin.

He was listening to her of course, but his eyes couldn't seem to move past the perfect body that stood before him barely covered by his bed sheet.

"I felt that you desired it, as well as something else. Whichever you want first is entirely up to you."  
>He rose up from the end of the bed and walked over to her, his fingertips now lightly fingering the sides of her neck and then running down her chest. The sensation was absolutely sublime.<p>

He turned her around and began to kiss her in earnest, trying to simultaneously shed his clothing and lead her back towards his bed at the same time when his computer began to alert him of an incoming call. It was odd, for Sarah could feel his annoyance, this amused her greatly but she tried to keep it hidden although that all seemed pretty pointless now since it was apparent the bonding had worked.  
>She caressed his cheek before she kissed it.<br>"Are you going to get that?"

He looked towards his computer and then back at her before savagely attacking her lips. They fell back hard against the bed and Sarah let out a surprised laugh but all the while helping Zareth out of his clothes.  
>They could hear the automatic message come on with Zareth's voice:<p>

"I am not available at present; please leave a brief message stating your business and I shall respond at the earliest moment convenient."

"Zareth! I know it is customary for you to be awake at this hour, please answer my call."  
>It was Malek, and he sounded rather anxious, despite this Zareth continued his advances with Sarah so she did the same.<br>He waited a while before he disconnected the call. Fifteen minutes later he called again but Sarah and Zareth were so completely involved with one another that he could've walked in the door and they still wouldn't have discontinued their activity.

It wasn't until an hour later, after Sarah had had her coffee, and Zareth his tea that he bothered to call Malek back.

"Where the hell have you been? I've called you half a dozen times, and why aren't you on screen? What are you hiding?... Oh… She's there isn't she? I knew it! So how was she? Do you now see what I mean about human girls, and if you think one is good try..."

"Malek; I sincerely hope this is not why you've been trying to call me for the last hour."

And then his tune changed drastically.  
>"It's about your Commander, I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this without it coming off as odd but we're going on a trip. I wanted you to tell our parents that I will not be present for their departure today."<p>

"He's gonna what?" Sarah exclaimed from where she sat so loudly that Malek overheard it.

"AHA! I knew she was there with you! Great Vulcan Goddess of T'Likah I knew it! I knew you would not be able to resist!"  
>He paused before speaking louder: "Good Morning Sarah! I hope my brother brought glory to what Vulcan men are capable of. If you're not able to walk properly do not be alarmed for…"<p>

"That is quite enough Malek, and what is this about you and the Commander going on a 'Trip'?"

"Oh! That! Yes well, it's exactly as I said. It turns out the commander and I have a great deal in common and despite living the majority of his life on earth, he still has not seen a great deal of it and I of course am eager to do some sightseeing so we're going to do it today. Our private shuttle leaves in twenty minutes so I must me off soon."

"Is he there with you now?"

Malek raised an eyebrow. "If you're thinking that he and I partook in similar activities as you and your bonded you greatly mistake me brother. I am adventurous but not THAT adventurous. "

"Then he is safe and no longer out of wits?"

"He is fine! Has a bit of a hangover but that's nothing one of my teas can't cure.. Oh! Before I forget! My crew is going to rendezvous at your property and begin building today so if you happen to stop by and see a lot of construction going on, that's what that's all about."

"I thought we'd go over the plans of the house together since it is I and Sarah who will be living in it."

"Who's the architect here? You? Trust me brother; you and your bonded will be in complete awe when my crew is done with your home. Yes, yes, no need to thank me; I know. Well; gotta run, I'll talk to you when we get back Zareth."

And with that, Malek broke communication.

Zareth took a deep breath and closed his eyes trying to center himself but then he felt Sarah's embrace and he allowed himself to be totally engulfed by her. He looked into her eyes that held a spark in them.

"You don't seem upset by this at all." He whispered.

"I'm not. I'm actually very excited to see what he ends up building for us as a house. Will it be Vulcan architecture?"

Zareth thought for a moment, he wasn't really sure what he'd have come up with.

"I am uncertain, but he knows of our needs, and your desire to eventually have animals and such. I'm sure he will accommodate your request."

She smiled and then looked up at his clock. "Don't your parents leave today?"

He turned to where she had been looking and got up quickly. "Indeed, we must put on appropriate attire."  
>Without another word, Sarah got up and began picking up the torn pieces of her dress and undergarments before lifting her brow up at Zareth. "Umm How do I leave here without attracting attention of everyone on campus?"<br>Zareth looked through all of his drawers and eventually found a running shirt and some pants she could wear. They fit big on her but it was the best they could do at present.  
>"You know," He said before she left. "Since we have already mentally and physically bonded; I feel you should strongly consider changing your living quarter arrangements."<p>

She blinked a few times before she smiled. "How soon do you want me to move in with you?"

"Since my parents are leaving, and Malek is off on an adventure with our Commander, I see no reason why it can't be done this afternoon. I have nothing pending, unless this is not agreeable to you."

She didn't answer at first, and he tried to pick up what she was feeling via their bond but before he could pick up on anything, she had lifted her hand. He in turn lifted his and she began to caress his fingertips gently with hers, stroking in a delicious manner that frankly had him tempted to pick her up and place her back in his bed.

Then she pulled back her fingers and began walking towards the entrance of his room. She had a smirk on her face as if knowing that her ceasing their current activity displeased him.

"That will work fine; see you in a few minutes." She gave him a playful wink and then she was gone, leaving him in a such a state that he desperately needed to meditate if even for a few minutes so that he could be centered again. This is what being with a human entailed, he knew it and yet; he had never desired anything so much in his life before.


	19. Chapter 19

Sarah and Zareth stood side by side while his parents things were being loaded on to the shuttle. Zareth's father came over and stood before Sarah, no particular expression on his face; she blushed under his scrutiny. Finally he began to speak: "When you do finally decide to formally bond with my son, please humble us with the honor of having the ceremony conducted on Vulcan; It is the wish of not only myself but his mother.

Sarah couldn't help but smile for they had spent most of the previous night 'bonding' but she understood that the ceremony was extremely important to Vulcans.

"I promise to do this Sir, we both do." She said looking over at Zareth who nodded in agreement.

He gave Sarah one last look before turning over to Zareth. "Why is your brother not here?"

"He is with the commander on an… 'adventure' . "

The father raised a knowing eyebrow and lifted his hand up in salutation. "I take my leave of you my son, be good to your bond mate.  
>Zareth nodded as he in turn lifted his hand. "I shall. Have a safe trip."<p>

They stood and watched as the shuttle flew off until it was a spec in the sky. Sarah turned to Zareth, a smile on her face.  
>"We've got work to do."<p>

He raised a brow. "Do we?"

"Well yeah, aren't you going to help me pack and move my things to your quarters?"  
>Sarah could actually see his expression change; it almost looked like a small smile had formed on his lips.<p>

"Indeed. I am ready to begin whenever you are."

It wasn't difficult to explain to the StarFleet dorm officer the quarter's change request. Sarah could tell that it had a lot to do with the fact that Zareth was Vulcan for normally there was a process one had to go through in order to have a dorm room change, and then it had to be approved and that could sometimes take weeks, but Zareth had walked in with total confidence and declared: "It is my wish as well as Cadet William's that we live in the same quarters."  
>The mans' eyes had actually bulged. "A human and a.. ok. I see no problem with that, this must be some logical decision if it's coming from a Vulcan."<p>

"She is my bond mate, it is in fact only logical that we share the same living quarters; how good of you to understand."  
>The man stayed staring at him and then looked over at Sarah and smirked. "I understand you fully Sir; I will make the necessary changes."<p>

The dorm officer was kind enough to give them boxes so they headed to Sarah's room straight away and began packing away her things.  
>Zareth took a moment to look at the room's surroundings. " It is fortunate that your roommate is not here."<p>

Sarah was wrapping a glass vase in newspaper. "It is, but then again she's hardly ever here; only at night to sleep and then she's gone by the time I wake up in the morning."

"So, it is probable that she will not be arriving anytime soon?"

Sarah stopped wrapping and turned around to face him, a smirk in place. "It is; what are you concocting in that brilliant mind of yours?"

He didn't answer her, but walked over to where she was and gently pressed his fingers against hers before he kissed her with his lips. She smiled against his lips and gently pulled away. "I had no idea you would be capable of such intense desire; I can actually feel it as if it were my own."  
>She batted her lashes at him playfully, knowing that it would draw attention to her eyes which he loved. It worked for he remained looking into them and then pressed his forehead against hers. He took in a deep breath which he normally did when he was trying to center himself.<p>

"Will it always be like this Zareth? Will you always want and desire me this much?"

This was a concern for Sarah since her ex boyfriend had acted as if he couldn't get enough of Sarah when they first got together, but then things fell into a routine and slowly she could tell that he was losing interest in her. She didn't know what she'd do if the same thing happened with Zareth.

He cradled her face in his hands, gently stroking the sides as he looked into her eyes.

"I will always desire you Sarah. Granted that the intensity might not always be as great due to circumstances we sometimes face in life, situations, especially where emotions are concerned." He graced her with a small smile then. "I know that you tend to isolate yourself when you believe that you have done something wrong. We are also still cadets with courses to fulfill and that can be draining at times so it is true that there will be moments where we cannot be so expressive towards each other.." As he said this he laid her back against the floor and pressed himself towards her. "But I will be loyal to you and only you Sarah, and will do everything within my means to keep what we share alive." He looked around and raised an eyebrow.  
>"I guess we should make the most of the time we do have, right now..."<p>

"But Zareth, the packing!" She said half serious, and half laughing.

He began to unbutton his shirt. "Later; I promise."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Forty minutes later Zareth was headed to get some food and refreshments for them but suddenly remembered that he still had Malek's hover car at his disposal. He knew that it would be a nice Surprise if he got food from the Green Room (Their now favorite place) as opposed to bringing back Cafeteria food. Having decided that it would be a logical choice, he quickly made his way to the green room and ordered the tabouleh wrap for himself, and the Asian veggie wrap for Sarah with sides of quinoa; it was after all Sarah's favorite.  
>He placed his order and the man behind the counter informed him that he'd have a ten to fifteen minute wait before his food was ready so he went outside and began to browse the nearby shops until then.<br>He happened upon a window display that showed a picture of a human male down on one knee offering a ring that was still in it's velvet case. The human girl who was the recipient of said ring looked extremely pleased and the letters beneath it read:  
>"Make a proposal she can't refuse with Q'uadest diamonds."<br>He raised an eyebrow. He knew the contents of the advertisement to be exaggerated after all; how could a diamond persuade a human female into a lifetime commitment? It was illogical for various reasons. Still, he had come to understand from recent research that humans had a tradition in which they exchanged rings as a sign of promise to one another. However, the man gave what is called an "Engagement ring" first to the female. A deeply emotional activity but he simply knew that it would cause great joy for Sarah.  
>Without further contemplation; Zareth entered the shop.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah turned around when she heard the door to her quarters open.

"Zareth I was worried! You were gone for more than an hour!"

He carried two bags with him, one big bag that was obviously from the green room and the other was a small red bag which he handed to her.  
>She smirked as she held the small bag he had just given her.<br>"Now I know that my lunch couldn't possibly fit in this small bag."

"Open it." Was all Zareth replied.

Sarah raised a confused eyebrow but did as she was told. She quickly unwrapped a small velvet box and her eyes lit up in understanding.  
>"Oh Zareth.." She began breathlessly as she opened it to reveal a beautiful white gold ring with an emerald stone in the center.<br>She looked at the ring and then up at him.

"It reminded me of your beautiful eyes. Once I saw it, I had to get it for you.. Sarah." He said as he stood before her.

"Sarah I.. " Then he stopped and she looked at him expectantly.

"Yes?"

"I just realized.. I'm unsure what finger this ring should go on."

She blinked and let out a nervous laugh. "Here, allow me." She said as she placed the ring on her left ring finger, it was just a tad snug but she didn't care.

"The man at the shop said you could come in and he would resize it for you if you desired."

"Zareth!" She cried out as she embraced him, tears now streaming down her eyes.

"I love it, I love you; I'm so happy!"

He couldn't help but lift a brow at the scenario, for it was occurring just as he had seen in the advertisement in the shop where he had bought the ring.  
>Perhaps it was not an exaggeration after all for he had never been so pleased to see Sarah so happy.<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

**Various things are going on ****in this Chapter; don't forget to review :-)**

They had finally finished moving her things and getting Zareth's small quarters in order at around 1900 hours that Saturday. Sarah didn't have a lot of things and it would've been done a lot sooner had not their inner desires for one another constantly interrupted their activity. At one point Sarah stood watching him as he helped organize her accessories. Never would she had thought him so capable of such desire for her and yet she knew without a doubt that what he displayed was solely for her, and knowing that made it all the more significant for her. She didn't know if she could ever experience anything like it with a human for she had suffered so much in her last relationship. The guy she was with before would do things to her just for the single reason of making her feel pain, as if punishing her, and yet here was Zareth who she knew would do anything just so she would never have to go through that.

He looked up at her, knowing that he was being watched and raised a questioning brow towards her. She in turn smiled and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck in the process and looking into his eyes.

"We finally did it didn't we? We're finally together."

He graced her with a small smile; she loved it when he did so. "I believe that this would've eventually been the outcome for us, it simply happened a lot sooner than I had calculated." He whispered.

She ran her fingertips softly up and down the nape of his neck, playing with the small, dark hairs that now stood erect. When her hand would surface to the top, she could see the emerald glimmer of her beautiful ring. She still couldn't believe that it was official; it was as if this was all some wonderful dream and she didn't want to wake from it.  
>She looked at his face and saw that he had closed his eyes in an effort to savor the feel of her light touches. He was slightly purring now, and leaning towards her fingers. She watched with total fascination, wondering how long he had felt this way about her but had remained it hidden behind the 'intellectually interested only' mask.<p>

One hand remained caressing his neck while she moved the other towards his face, feeling the smoothness of his skin; it sent tingles down her spine. Ever so slowly her fingers traveled towards his cheek and then she gently traced his upturned brow, feeling that the bristles of hair there were coarser than the one's behind his neck. She felt him inhale her scent deeply, his eyes still closed; she knew he was enjoying this. She studied his features, memorizing every line, every dimple, just everything about him. What had taken her so long to realize how gorgeous he was?

Sarah's stomach decided at that moment to grumble in protest for not having been fed. The sound caused him to snap his eyes open when he heard it and saw that her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed a pretty pink hue as she clutched her mid-section in an embarrassed manner; it was endearing.

"Of course you are hungry; we have not had nourishment since this afternoon. What would you like to do at this time?"

She looked over at his small kitchenette. He only had two burners and a small fridge, which was more than what she had in her last quarters that she shared. He followed her stare and looked back at her. "I have to purchase nourishment." He walked over to the small fridge and opened it, showing her that all he had was a gallon of water, some dried soy beans and a couple of nutrient bars that he had purchased the last time they had gone shopping.  
>She smirked at him and spun around to gather her hand bag. "Come Zareth; we're going grocery shopping so I can cook you something."<p>

"We can purchase something already prepared if you wish. I know you are tired from moving your belongings all day." She gave him a wry grin as she contemplated his words. "You know, you're right. I am tired; how about you cook for me?"  
>He lifted a surprised brow and cleared his throat. "I must tell you that my cooking abilities are limited to just heating premade items, and organizing foods that do not require heating like salads for instance."<br>She couldn't help but smile at how endearing he looked at having openly admitted that there was actually something that he did not do well.  
>She walked over to him and kissed his cheek before slinging the bag over her shoulder.<br>"Let's see what we find at the store and we'll play it by ear."

"Play by ear?" He asked curiously. "Why would we play with our ears?"

She laughed out loud when she saw the confused look on his face. "It's a human term that means that we will improvise when we get there."

"I see, most curious." He said as his mind was still trying to grasp what ears had to do with improvising.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"I detect that you feel dread at the thought that you have to return and face both my brother and his bonded."

Denning flinched at the term. He still couldn't believe what a spectacle he had made of himself. It was good that he and the Vulcan had taken a few days to get away; it would give things a chance to quiet down.

They were at a bar just outside Luray Caverns in Virginia. They had gone hiking, and to satisfy Malek's curiosity even gone inside of the museum they had established there which in his mind was set up as a tourist trap.

He stayed staring at his beer mug, watching the bubbles rise to the top of his glass.  
>"I don't know that I would call it dread." Was all he replied. Malek looked over at him and observed him for a moment before asking him: "Are you content with your position at Star Fleet?"<p>

Denning's head shot up at that question. "Of course I am, why do you think I have taught there as long as I have?"

"Maybe because it's comfortable. Zareth tells me that instructors are given everything. food, clothing, living quarters, a vehicle."

Denning scowled as he took a sip of his beer, not at all liking the fact that Zareth had been talking about the instructors who taught at Star Fleet.  
>"What else did your dear brother tell you about us instructors? Did he happen to mention that we're incapable, meat eating, and irrational?" He ended with a snarl.<p>

Malek simply raised an amused brow. "He did not. I was the one who inquired what your benefits were and he stated what he knew as such. If it weren't for my query he probably wouldn't have brought it up at all."

"Figures!" Denning spat angrily.

"Your anger is unfounded." Malek said calmly.

Denning looked him over and sneered. "What happened to the cool Malek I was hanging out with earlier today? Turning all Vulcan on me now?"

"I have my moments." He said as he too took a sip of his drink.

"When I first met you I could've sworn you were Romulan. I never thought you would've been related to Zareth."

Malek sat back against his chair and thought about it for a moment. "When it comes down to it; I really have no identity. I am what I want to be when it suits me."

"Is that why you confine yourself to a starship that roams around endlessly in space?"

"We do serve a purpose, but to answer your question; yes it is. I cannot see myself living on Vulcan anymore; I would sooner live on Earth."

"Why don't you?" Denning said in all seriousness. "I could give a good word on your behalf at Star Fleet."

"I do not wish to have to start all over by joining Star Fleet." He sighed.

"If you have a skill and experience in a field they require, they have been known to make exceptions and can hire you on immediately as one of the staff. It's extremely rare but it has been done. From what you tell me, you are the designer of some of the best architectural buildings found within the galaxy."

"Yes I am." He said while still contemplating his drink.

"And modest too." Denning smiled. "Not everyone on staff is an instructor so if teaching doesn't appeal to you there are other options. You would still have to take a three month crash course to become familiar with what it is Star Fleet does. Become familiar with the rules and regulations..."

"Rules..." Malek ground out with obvious distaste.

Denning lifted his eyebrows in shock. "You know, no matter what species you are, you are always going to bound by some set of rules whether you realize it or not. I'm sure you know this."

"I just don't take it well when people try to tell me what to do; especially if I know that I am right about something. All my life I have been taught that I need to repress the need to prove that I am right and simply be the best that I can be all the while keeping my inner emotions and desires repressed. I followed this mode of thinking for most of my youth because.. Well I didn't have much of a choice obviously. Then one day I was in the physics training module going over material for an exam and it just suddenly came to me; a question that suddenly emerged from the depths of my mind and it said to me: What are you doing?" He looked at Denning with a seriousness he had never seen in the small span of time he had come to know Malek.

I finished the module and still that question plagued me. I went home to my parents, to my brother and the question kept resurfacing with every action I took. I would do things, what is conceived to be constructive, orderly, expected of me and it got to a point where what was supposed to be logical wasn't logical to me anymore."

He sighed loudly, looking over at Denning who seemed totally confused by his admission. "Sometimes I think I was born into the wrong species."

Denning laughed to try to lighten the mood. "Not me." He said as he took another sip of his beer. "I am very much human; and I like it, flaws and all."

Malek continued to look at Denning before turning back and looking around his surroundings. Groups of people congregated together laughing, talking, having a good time. He had always been told that such behaviors didn't serve a purpose, and yet this is what he liked; this is what he felt comfortable around.  
>He turned back to Denning: "I shall consider your proposal if you are sure that you can find a way for me to get in without actually having to go through the normal four year motions."<p>

Denning lifted his glass with a smile: "Consider it done."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth raised an amused brow as he watched Sarah try to wrap her mouth around the monstrous foot long sandwich they had purchased at the market. Once they had passed by the sandwich counter, her hunger overrode her desire to cook and they ended up purchasing dinner, but they got a few ingredients they needed to last them for the next couple of days. It reminded him of the time they had gone to the green room and she had been so hungry that she ordered enough food to fill two tables.

"Will you really be able to eat that entire sandwich?" He asked teasingly.

"Yes, and I will want dessert afterwards too." She replied.

He couldn't help but give a small smirk at her, judging from her rather small physique, you'd never guess that she was capable of eating so much food, but then again she hardly ever ate like that unless she had gone a long time without eating. He suddenly felt guilty for not having checked with her sooner about acquiring nourishment. He made a mental note to be sure to look out for this in the future.

He in turn purchased a bowl of tempeh chili; the spices appealed to his taste buds. He more than likely would decline dessert since he had never really cared for sweets unless they were high in nutritional content like granola bars and the like.

"There's a new gelato place down the street I saw open; I think they have my favorite: Rocher Chocolate."

"Yes, you have mentioned this product before numerous times but I have never felt an inclination to try it."

"That's ok, I'll let you try some of mine when we finish here and you can see if you like it."

True to her word, Sarah had managed to eat her entire foot long sandwich. She was making a loud, sucking sound as she drank the last of her iced tea with her straw. He had come to know that she was rather noisy when eating things she had thoroughly enjoyed; he had recently come to find out that she also did this for other activities she enjoyed as well.

He slanted his head as he looked at the remains of rubbish that now lay in front of her.

"Better?" He asked with amusement.

She smiled as she wiped her mouth: "Much."

"You still desire dessert?"

She raised a brow at his direction. "What do you think?"

He didn't need to hear anything else. He got up out of his seat and threw away their trash before they both headed out towards the new gelato place. Even as they neared the establishment he could sense some strange aroma wafting through the air. He took a deep breath to try to decipher what it was, but it wasn't anything that he was familiar with.  
>Again he took several deep breaths, his nostrils now flaring each time he did so. Sarah stopped and looked over at him.<p>

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing I assure you it's just that… Do you smell something strange?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know." He said before taking another deep breath.

"Does it smell bad?" She honestly didn't smell a thing but then again she knew that Vulcan's had a more keen sense of smell than humans did.

"No, on the contrary. It is extremely pleasant."

"It's probably the gelato you're smelling."

He opened the door to the small shop and the aroma intensified tenfold. He looked over at Sarah with a strange gleam in his eye as he confirmed: "Yes, I believe it is."

**Hmmm… Wonder how he'll react towards the chocolate….**


	21. Chapter 21

The sensation was odd for Zareth as he felt as if he were walking on air the closer they go to the gelato counter. There were two young women there giving them eager smiles. "Welcome to Amici's, would you like to sample our gelato?"  
>Sarah smiled at Zareth and linked her arm with his as they walked over to look at all the flavors they had.<br>She gasped as she began to jump up and down excitedly. "You have chocolate Rocher! I love Rocher!"

"We do indeed." One of the young ladies replied. "Would you like to sample it first?"

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I'll have a medium cup of Rocher please."

Zareth watched in a hypnotized manner as the woman scooped the silky ribbons of chocolate on to the cup. He could smell the powerful aroma every time she dug the metal scoop into the creamy concoction. He took a deep breath and held it in, thinking and realizing that he had never smelled any food item on earth that was as pleasurable.

"Sir would you like to try what she's having?" The girl asked him, breaking him from his reverie.

"Yes." He replied before he could even think about it.

The young woman dug a small plastic spoon into the same tub and held it out to him. He took it from her tentatively, inspecting every silky crevice before he brought it up to his nose and inhaled again. His eyes rolled back at the intensity of the sweet smell before he brought the concoction to his mouth.

It melted deliciously around his tongue, the cool and creamy juices mingling in his mouth before he felt it travel down his throat. His taste buds rejoiced as they never had before, he felt a delicious sort of anticipation coarse throughout his body, very similar to how it felt when Sarah touched him when they were alone in private.  
>Sarah watched his face, completely fixated on his reaction; he only had that look upon his face when they were… A coy grin formed on her face when she saw that he had closed his eyes and was breathing deep, she could also feel through their bond what the chocolate was doing to him.<p>

"Sir?" The girl asked, trying to get his attention.

Sarah smiled over to the girls who by now were looking at each other and back at Zareth in a weirded out kind of way. "He's fine, he gets like that sometimes. Would you happen to sell this in pints to take home?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Denning was sitting alone in his hotel room as he flipped through the channels of the screen in his room. There was nothing of particular amusement on so he ended up turning it off and sat back down with a loud sigh.

Tomorrow he and Malek were going to go rock climbing on Mount Abraham and they needed to get some sleep; well he did at least, that Vulcan could probably go on forever.  
>This got him thinking about Malek in general, he actually enjoyed his company quite a bit and the idea of having him as a fellow comrade at Star Fleet seemed like a really good idea. The poor fellow seemed lost in what he was currently doing. Traveling certain had its allure but after a certain amount of time, setting roots and becoming stable isn't all that bad in itself.<p>

He could've waited until he got back to Star Fleet to talk to his superior but he decided that he needed to do it now while it was still fresh in his mind.  
>He pulled out his computer and called his superior, even if he didn't answer, he could still leave him a message. Luckily however, he answered the call.<p>

"Denning! You're supposed to be on vacation son, what are you doing calling me?"

"Always a pleasure to speak to you too sir." He said with a smile.

"So? How's it going?" The older man with greying hair asked.

"Terrific! The weather here is beautiful; tomorrow I'm going rock climbing."

"Good for you kid. What can I do for you?"

Denning thought about the best way to tell him and took a deep breath.

"You're familiar with Deblis 7 right?"

"Course, who isn't? "

"Right well; what would you say if I told you that I knew and was friendly with an architect who actually helped design some of the buildings on that planet?"

"I'd asked who are you bribing to get those kinds of connections."

"Right." Denning said, his smile growing wider, maybe it could work after all.  
>"And, what would you say if I told you that this one architect might be interested in joining Star Fleet?"<p>

The older man raised a brow and he continued to look at the screen. "Denning what the hell do you take me for? Only the best of the best work on the structures found in Deblis 7, and you expect me to believe that someone like that would drop everything to join Star Fleet? Now wait! " He said as he raised his hand for he knew Denning was going to interrupt. "I am damn proud of what we do at Star Fleet , but you have to consider that he would have to start all over, take the 4 years of academy training."

"Why?" Denning interrupted anyway. "Why couldn't we give him the 3 month crash course and be done with it? The man is genius, he doesn't need four more years of school, and at any rate; he wont even consider Star Fleet if you land him with that 4 year statement crap!"

The older man on the screen studied Denning's face for a long while. "You're damn serious about this aren't you?"  
>Denning sighed deeply before nodding.<p>

"Who is it?"

"I…"

"Just tell me Denning!"

"Malek of Vulcan."

The older man's eyes shot up in surprise. "There must be some mistake."

"I assure you there isn't"

The older man took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair as if trying to take in the information. "I will speak to the board members about this and give you an answer once I get a response from them, but you're sure about this Denning? Would he really consider?"

Denning nodded. "Just waive off the 4 years; he's willing to be one of us."

He nodded. "I'll get back to you on that; enjoy the remainder of your Vacation Denning."

He nodded. "Thank you sir; Denning out."

Well; it was done. The possibility of Malek becoming a staff member at Star Fleet was very real now. He shut off his computer and got ready for bed; tomorrow was going to be a rough day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were back in Malek's rented hover car; Sarah laughed when she thought about all the credit's Malek was going to have to pay when he finally returned the vehicle, they had made much use of it since he had left with Denning on some crazy adventure.

"Why did you not wish to consume your concoction in one of the seats located within the establishment?" Zareth whispered in Sarah's ear. She had been spoon feeding him some of her own gelato, intensifying his desire to be close to her. As it was right now, he was practically sitting on her lap.

"Say that word again?" She asked in a low whisper.

"Which one?" He replied gruffly before he began nibbling her earlobe.

"Con-coction." She barely got out as she reached over to his hand and began caressing his fingers slowly.  
>He groaned out loud before he bit down on her shoulder; eliciting a moan from her.<p>

"Con-Coc-Tion" He worded in her ear before she fed him another spoonful of the chocolate gelato. He devoured it as if his life depended on it.

"Please…" He began.

"Please what?" Sarah asked teasingly.

He was breathing roughly now and looking around their surroundings. They had parked in the back and currently there weren't any other vehicles around them, but still; anyone could drive up at any moment, and you could still make out what was going on inside even though the windows were tinted.

He looked back up into her eyes as his hand shot down to grasp hers, fumbling frantically against them. He leaned forward and captured her mouth with his; Sarah moaned out in surprise when she felt that his tongue had invaded hers and was swirling with her own in a slow, delicious fashion; she could taste the wonderful chocolate.  
>His free hand was trying to unbutton her dress and her eyes lit up in shock. "Zareth! Not here! We'll get caught!"<p>

The man was skilled; he had already managed to undo all of her buttons and her skin prickled under the feel of the cool draft.

"I can't wait to have you Sarah." He mumbled gruffly. "Need to have you now."

At that moment he shifted himself off of her lap and dove towards the backseat where not a moment later he grabbed both her hands and lifted her from her seat and pushed her towards him so abruptly, and with such force that she landed on top of him with a hard thud.  
>"Are you alright?" She asked when she heard the loud thud.<p>

He had his eyes closed and was still breathing hard, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I have never felt better." His small smile abruptly turned into a stony glare. "Now; quit talking human!" He growled.

"But.." She couldn't get another word out for his lips were attacking hers once again, his fingers now pulling the rest of her dress off. She had never seen him so aggressive, yet it didn't scare or frighten her, on the contrary; she had a feeling she could grow very fond of this side of Zareth.


	22. Chapter 22

The wonderful weekend where Zareth and Sarah couldn't get enough of each other unfortunately had to come to a close, and they were thrown head first with work once the week started. When she had woken up, she had found that Zareth had left her a bowl of fruit and a still hot cup of coffee on the table with a note.  
>"I have an early meeting in the engineering lab this morning; please forgive my absence. I took the liberty of assembling breakfast for you; I hope you find this satisfactory. I would suggest we meet in the study lab later today; I will be there at precisely 1600 hours awaiting your arrival.<br>- Zareth "

The day had started out alright and then Denning had confronted her about the ordeal once class had ended and to his shock he found a bouncy and extremely cheerful Sarah standing before him, he did not comprehend at first why she was so damn giddy given the ordeal he had caused to both her and Zareth, AND his family but at one point she had brought up her hands to express something she was talking about and that's when he had seen it.

"Oh my god." He said involuntarily.

Her eyes had grown wide at his expression. "What? What happened?"

"You're engaged to him aren't you?"

She looked at her ring and smiled broadly. "Yes, he asked me to Marry him this past weekend and I accepted!"

"Wait. Does this mean that.. " But he saw the look she was starting to give him and backed off.. "What I mean to ask is; you're not going to Vulcan with him are you?"

Her eyes lit up in understanding and her smile had returned. "No, that is not our plan. We both want to graduate and then we have to sit down and decide what we're going to do from then on."

He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. He knew this was the eventual outcome and while he was glad that she had so easily forgiven his outburst in front of her now fiancé's parents; he couldn't help but feel that he was losing her forever.

"I'm happy for you both." He forced himself to say. "It seems rather sudden but it's not unexpected. It almost seems like this would be your outcome given the way the two of you just seemed to come together since the very beginning. If you don't mind my asking; how did you both come to meet anyway?"

Sarah smiled as she thought about it. "We met in the study lab, and to tell the truth; I didn't like him at all at first."

Denning's grey eyes grew wide in shock. "Really?"

"His mannerisms were … well they kind of shocked me, but then I got to know him since he kept showing up at the study lab and everything just sort of happened."

"Wait, he kept showing up at the lab?"

She nodded.

"_So.. Vulcans apparently do experience love at first sight too_." He thought as he smiled.

"No hard feelings then?" He finally said as he extended his hand out to her.

"None, it's good to be on good terms again commander." She replied as she took hold of his outstretched hand.

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was Thursday night when Sarah was in the small kitchenette preparing dinner. Zareth was in the living room studying for an exam, or at least he was when he stopped momentarily to peer over at his bond mate to admire the way she softly hummed to herself as she prepared consumption. Whenever she cooked, she liked to wear something she called an "Apron" at first he didn't think much of it but now he thought it looked quite becoming on her. Ever since she had discovered how easy it was to prepare quinoa herself they have been eating it frequently. He did not mind this for she would prepare it in different ways. Today she was making it with butternut squash.  
>She was now opening the small fridge and picked up the one pint of gelato they had purchased from Amici's and shook it before putting it back in the freezer. "We're running low on that." She mumbled to herself. He allowed a small upturn of his lips at that statement for that was probably the food item they would consume the fastest. The workers at Amici's probably already knew Sarah's name and preference by memory she went there so often.<p>

She was spooning the contents of her prepared efforts on to a plate now and set it on the small table, he could see the heat wafting off the plate as it sat there, then the second plate arrived and both began to exude heat. Having watched the entire process had been hypnotic, never could he have imagined that living with Sarah could've satisfied him in such a manner; if only he had met her sooner they could've been bond mates and maybe even have had children by now, but he knew he was getting ahead of himself and that was not logical.

"Dinner's ready Zareth." She announced as if in a tune. He placed his already finished work away and walked up to her, lifting his hand towards her. She smiled and lifted hers as well, already knowing what he was going to do; she extended two fingers and wrapped it around his as he pressed his forehead against hers while looking into her eyes.

"The evening meal smells wonderful." He stroked his fingers against hers as he said this.

She giggled and slowly moved her fingers away from his. "Later; eat dinner first before it gets cold."

They had finished eating and Zareth was cleaning the dishes when the chime to their quarters rang. Sarah looked up at him in a questioning manner. "Are you expecting someone?"

"Negative; I cannot imagine who it would be at this time."

"It's Malek." They both heard him call out in a muffled voice."

Sarah walked over and pressed the button to let him in, finding him leaning against the frame with his arms folded in front of him.

"Ah Sarah, you look quite becoming in that attire; but then again since my brother is here I'm surprised that you're even wearing attire at al..… "

"Malek." Zareth interrupted. "I did not know that you were still on Earth. I had thought that your leave had concluded once you had brought the commander back."

"It's good to see you as well brother. I take it Commander Denning has not informed you of the fantastic news?"

Sarah slanted her head to the side in a confused manner. "What news?"

Malek gave a sly grin as he raised a brow. "Say hello to the newest member of the Star Fleet Staff."


	23. Chapter 23

I just want to thank **purplefrostlover **for giving me great suggestions with regards to Malek and his character in the story…. It's going to come up soon… Just hang in there ;-)

And **ByaSouthernLady **for reminding me that it's ok for love and good times to revolve around food.. and lots of it!

ALSO, to those of you who have stuck with the story and take the time to leave me your thoughts; I treasure each and every one :o)

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"WHAT?" Sarah exclaimed. "Is this one of your jokes?"

Malek lifted a brow as he smiled smugly. "I assure you it is not."

Without saying a word, Zareth walked up to Malek and placed his fingers over his temple, all the while Malek stayed perfectly calm. It took several seconds before Zareth let go and stood beside Sarah. "He speaks the truth; I guess congratulations are in order since you managed to bypass having to attend Star Fleet for four years as the rest of us do."

"Did Denning have something to do with that?" Sarah asked.

Malek smirked. "He might have; my brother can go into all of those details with you. Speaking of Denning; I'm running late. I am supposed to meet up with him to play beer pong."

Sarah's jaw dropped to the floor and upon seeing this Zareth looked between her and the wide smirk on Malek's face.  
>"Do I want to know what beer pong is Malek?"<p>

Malek stood up straight, showing his full height, as he folded his arms in front of him. " I understand more and more why you chose a human as a mate; they can be so creative, the games that they invent are fascinating brother, but who am I to tell you for I know that you've probably made some remarkable discoveries of your own already."

He knew this was true when he saw the flush start to form in Sarah's cheeks, causing his smirk to return in full force. "Anyway; I've got to run but before I do Zareth, I need you to stop by the property with me tomorrow to go over a few things. Sarah you are most welcome as well since it will be your home too; we can make an outing of it to celebrate my finally settling down."

She looked up at Zareth who simply nodded. "I have nothing pending after I have taken my examination."

"Neither do I." She replied.

"Excellent! We will meet there at 1700 hours. What's a good oriental restaurant around here? Denning only seems to go to places where all they serve is meat and potatoes and I tire of eating these :"spuds"."

She stopped to think about it for a moment before she replied: "Meiko's which is two blocks away from the Lebanese place. They serve Japanese cuisine, and make a spectacular tofu ramen come to think of it."

"Then we shall go there afterwards. See you both tomorrow!" He said as he gave her a sexy grin.

With that he was gone and Sarah pressed the button to close the door to their quarters.

"Why have we never gone to this Meiko's place and yet you openly suggest it with my brother?" Zareth queried as he came around and now stood right in front of her. Sarah thought about it for a moment before replying. "I don't know; I wasn't even sure if you knew what oriental cuisine consisted of."

"And how do you know what beer pong is? Apparently it cannot be good given your reaction to it." She could feel his annoyance through their bond and she couldn't understand it. She placed her arms around his neck causing him to immediately peer into her large emerald eyes and relax.

"Zareth" She whispered. "Beer pong is an obnoxious drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-to-four-player teams and multiple cups set up, in triangle formation, on each side. If a ball lands in a cup, then the contents of that cup are consumed by the other team, and the cup is either placed aside or reinserted into the triangle. If the cup is reinserted and the other team knocks the cup over, it is removed. If the opposing team throws the ball into an empty cup, they must consume the contents of one of their cups. The first side to eliminate all of the opponent's cups is the winner. Did that make any sense at all to you?"

"That has to be one of the most ridiculous and illogical thing I have ever heard; ever."

"Yes well; I take it Malek is simply going to watch Denning make a fool of himself again. I know what beer pong is because my ex use to play that atrocious game with his friends. As for Meiko's; I have never thought to mention it because we've already established our go-to places and didn't think you'd care for it since Japanese cuisine is mostly seafood albeit they do have wonderful vegetarian options but I never thought to bring it up, I'm sorry if you feel I was withholding information from you."

She had hardly said the last word before he captured her lips with his in a passionate kiss that left her breathless. "I did not mean to sound as if I were accusing you; forgive me." He whispered in her ear.  
>"It's just… you are mine Sarah; you are my mate."<p>

"That was never a question Zareth." She said before she kissed him again. She could feel that this eased him but it also caused her to realize something. She slightly pulled away from him and simply looked at him.  
>"His being in Star Fleet now doesn't change anything, do you understand? I only love you Zareth; I bonded with you."<p>

She could feel his breath rush out of him as if in a low moan. "Say it again Sarah."

"I'm yours; your mate." She whispered before she kissed him. He pulled away and gave her the most smoldering look she had seen from him yet before he replied; "Prove it!"

She raised a brow before she suddenly grabbed him and roughly pushed him back against the bed; she began to take off her apron as she hovered above him. "Careful what you wish for."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Malek, did you go pick up your uniform already?" Denning asked as they were setting up the table.

"Yes; and the keys to my vehicle. Is this three month crash course they keep telling me about really necessary?"

"You're bypassing four years and complaining about a lousy 3 months? Let me remind you that you've been floating around in space for years; maybe the crash course will suit you more than you realize."

"Perhaps. Do you know if there will be any agreeable looking women present?"

"Now we're talkin'" Denning said with a grin. "What do you want? A Vulcan?"

Malek looked up and gave him a look that said he wasn't having that.

"Uhhh.. A Human? Betazoid? Wait; before you answer that what, are you looking for? Just someone to have a good time with or a relationship? I can tell you right now who to steer away from. Fletcher who teaches Astro-physics..."  
>He pointedly looked at him while holding his finger up in a commanding fashion. "She's hot but I'm telling you right now; stay away from her unless you want to end up at sickbay with some unknown disease."<p>

Malek did an exaggerated shake that caused Denning to laugh out loud. "I don't particularly need that on my plate right now so I will heed your advice."  
>He stayed pensive for a moment before he continued. "Would there happen to be any women like my brother's mate?"<p>

Denning narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't tell me..."

"Absolutely not! There is nothing in the galaxy that would ever separate those two and I certainly wouldn't even want to attempt it although my brother does not know this and it is amusing to see him try not to fall apart whenever I make the tiniest remark towards his female. They're probably at their quarters right now studying physics or some boring nonsense."

"Instigator." Denning grumbled.

"Yes well; how about it? Any other human females as agreeable in appearance as she?"

Denning seemed to think about it for a moment. "I probably don't need to tell you that I find she is one of a kind; although that was the only time that I have ever fallen for a student of mine and I highly suggest that you don't do the same and steer away from the cadets in general. I don't know that I'm the right person to ask Malek. If you see anyone that strikes your fancy though I can get you information; I take it you and your brother have a preference towards humans?"

"Apparently; although women are beautiful no matter what species." He finished with a grin. Denning lifted his glass of beer that was previously placed on the beer pong table and saluted him with it: "I'll definitely drink to that!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah and Zareth were walking towards the property, all the while Sarah was asking: "What do you think he wants to show us? You don't think he had them build a side house and the surprise is that he's going to tell us that he's going to be living next door do us?"

Zareth raised a brow at that. "Although that would not surprise me in the least; I also know my brother to value his privacy greatly. He likes to have the freedom of doing whatever he wants when he wants without having to answer to anyone which is why I believe Star Fleet will prove to be a bigger challenge for him than he thinks. Right now he is enjoying the perks that he has not had before when he was confined in space."

"Don't get me wrong though." Sarah added. "He's your brother and he did purchase this land for us after all so we cannot refuse him. I just value our privacy too."

He again raised a brow again and graced her with a small smile. "As do I; I understand your sentiments Sarah. I think living in the same town should suffice, there is such a thing as being too near your family."

"Yes; those are my sentiments exactly."

He looked over at her and even though he didn't say anything; she could feel through their bond that somehow her statement greatly pleased him.  
>They were now coming up to the entrance of the property and immediately they could see how much had changed.<p>

"Oh.. Zareth.. It's beautiful! I'd never thought they would've finished so soon!" She put both her hands up to her face as she tried to control her initial shock but then started sprinting towards the house like a kid running to the candy store. Zareth followed after her while she still marveled at it.

"I have never seen anything like this!" She said excitedly.

"Of course you haven't; it's one of a kind." Came a voice from behind one of the columns.

Malek stood there grinning with his arms folded in front of him. He was wearing the staff uniform. Black and very tight fitting on his firm and toned body.

"Let me be the first to welcome you to your new home. Granted, it still needs some work, but its minor cosmetic stuff."  
>Zareth looked around at the grand entrance before looking at his brother. "Indeed you have exceeded my expectations Malek." He said calmly.<p>

"Yes, yes, do try and control your excitement Zareth. Well; let me give you the tour then." He looked around and saw that Sarah had disappeared.

"Where is your female?"  
>They both looked around when they heard her off in the distance.<p>

"Did you guys see this?" She called from the smaller side house. "We can keep animals in here! It's like a miniature barn!"

"Yes, that was the intent Sarah." Malek called out to her. It was complete with a 21st century style sliding barn door that wouldn't open so she climbed in through the open window.

"You even built a second level in here!"

Malek grinned at Zareth as they walked over to where she was. She had climbed up the stairs and was looking at the view from the two smaller windows.

"This was built to be a storage area. You can keep food for the livestock or even have guests sleep here if you wanted to keep them out with the animals."

"So this is where you'll be staying Malek?" Zareth queried.

Malek's brows rose and his jaw practically dropped. "Did you just say a joke Zareth?" He turned to Sarah and smiled. "You taught him that didn't you?"

He turned back to Zareth and playfully hit him in the arm. "See what having human on the brain does to you? Before you know it you'll be sharing underwear and wearing matching outfits."

Sarah was the one that raised a brow at that comment and replied: "Is that coming from personal experience?"

"Ouch!" Malek cried. "What happened to the usual blush and lowering of the eyes? Did you hear your female Zareth? Such sass!"

"As humans say: 'you asked for it." He said with a raised brow.

Malek looked between the two before asking: "Is this going to be a normal occurrence between you guys from now on? You know what, don't answer that."

Sarah smirked at Zareth before they left the small barn and went back inside where Malek bypassed the vastly large and open kitchen and took them directly to the second level and on to the first bedroom.

"I've been anxious to show you this room specifically because this will be the nursery. I've designed it especially for your future children's needs, even added an above counter vessel and when you pull this..." He then pulled on a small metallic lever and water began to trickle out.

"So you don't even have to leave the room if baby makes a mess. This room also has a balcony but it's programmed so that the only way anyone can go outside is if the computer either detects my dear brother here or you Sarah... Sarah; you ok? I know it can seem overwhelming." He said in earnest when he saw her turn away.

Zareth turned to her and saw that water was trickling down her face. "What is the matter?" He whispered.

"Nothing." She replied as she wiped the tears. "It's just.. The talk of children; it's.. I don't know..I feel like it's... so surreal. Like this isn't even happening to me."

"Don't worry Sarah. You and my brother will get busy and make me an uncle before you know it, and that'll just mean more visits from me; it'll be great!"

She gave him a watery smile. "Absolutely, now that we have a barn you can sleep in."  
>Zareth graced her with a small smile and lifted his hand towards her to which she did the same.<p>

"Hey! No more of this tag-teaming against me. Now, let's go see the rest of it."

_"Our home_." She thought with utter and complete joy.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It took them roughly about an hour to see the house in its entirety and afterwards Malek drove them to Meiko's in the new vehicle Star Fleet had assigned to him.

"It's not as nice as the one you guys made havoc in, but it'll do."

"Malek, I have no idea what you're referring to; we took excellent care of your rented vehicle." Sarah supplied.

"Uh huh. I meant to ask; did you guys by chance have other people riding in there? Cause there were chocolate stains all over the back seat. I had to clean it up before I returned it; quite a tedious task!"

"You're going to miss the turn Malek." Sarah said as she pointed at the restaurant. Zareth breathed a sigh of relief, the last thing he wanted to do was try to explain what had occurred to his brother; he knew that he'd never hear the end of it.

They had dinner and when Malek dropped them off outside of their quarters, Sarah once again stated for what was probably the 10th time, how much she loved and appreciated what Malek had done for them.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He had said in return. "You can repay be my pairing me up with some cute friend of yours.  
>She saw Zareth walk up and decided to give them some privacy.<p>

"Malek; you already know that I am grateful for what you've done."

"Listen…" Malek began. "Our parents did not want me to say but I personally feel it would dishonor them if I didn't. I simply got you the property and the builders; my now ex crew. As for the supplies and materials, permits needed and all that mess; that was their gift to you and Sarah."

Zareth sighed and nodded. "They don't want you to know though. I personally don't see the logic in it but.. there it is."

"Zareth raised a brow. "You? See logic? Fascinating."

"Alright." Malek said. "Go on and tend to your mate; I'll talk to you in a couple of days."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got training and what not… Federation staff only; you wouldn't understand."

Zareth again raised a brow. "Right.. We'll keep in touch."

Malek stayed in the car and watched as Zareth immediately went to Sarah and took hold of her hand. They kissed the human way for quite some time before they eventually went back inside. All the while Malek watched and wondered if anything as magnificent as what his brother had would ever come for him… probably not; things like that didn't happen to him.

With a heavy sigh, he finally drove his vehicle to his new staff quarters.

**Awww.. you feel sorry for him; come on… admit it..**


	24. Chapter 24

Bright and early at 700 hours, Malek was at the conference hall where training would begin. He was surprised to see so many people there as he estimated that there must've been at least twenty others with him.  
>The instructor for the course was Commander David Jones. He was a tall, fit looking human with yellow hair and eyes the color of two different tones. One was brown the other blue; quite curious as he had never seen such a thing before, the result of heterochromia no doubt.<p>

Suddenly, a beautiful young woman, also with similar yellow colored long hair walked up to him and graced him with the most gorgeous smile. She batted her long lashes as her blue eyes sparkled.

"Is anyone sitting next to you?" She said in the sexiest voice he had ever heard.

Malek was staring he knew and was about to smile back but decided he'd prefer to keep the Vulcan profile apparent just in case and simply signaled to the chair next to him while keeping his face carefully stoic.

Immediately he could smell her sweet perfume, could he really get any luckier?  
>He was already beginning to envision taking her out for evening consumption, she'd be wearing a red dress that accentuated her curves, and she'd be everything that he wanted in a female. Maybe this was the one that would bear his child, the one to ground him, the one to... Why was she staring at him like that?<br>Maybe she was awaiting and introduction...He turned to her and with his same grave expression said to her:

"I am Malek; and you are?" She in turned gave him a very wide smile that showed him her pearly white teeth. "I'm Diana Fletcher; you must be new for I would've definitely remembered someone as handsome as you." She finished with a flirty wink.  
>The alarm began to sound wildly in his mind as he remembered his conversation with Denning when they were playing beer pong. He remembered Denning's face vividly as he pointed his finger at him and said:<br>"I can tell you right now who to steer away from. Fletcher who teaches Astro-physics... She's hot but I'm telling you right now; stay away from her unless you want to end up at sickbay with some unknown disease."

He looked towards her and saw that she was now bending over to take something out of her bag, her staff uniform was unbuttoned at the top and he could easily feast his eyes on her well-endowed assets. She looked up suddenly and flashed him a smile and a wink which in turned caused him to swerve his head back to the front. This would not do at all. He couldn't understand what she was doing there, wasn't she already a professor teaching at the academy?

All throughout the morning session she kept doing things to try to capture his attention, Flipping her hair which.. albeit had a very nice scent, kept bending over to pick things up from her bag, kept crossing her leg and then peering over at him. At one point he swore that she was licking her lips while looking at him but he remained looking ahead at all times. Was nobody watching her conduct? The humorous part in all of this was that had he still been roaming around space and come across a bird like her, he would've gone for it, no questions asked.  
>Sometimes it paid to have friends like Denning; he'd have to take him out to dinner sometime this week and discuss what was currently happening, at least they would both get a hearty laugh out of it.<p>

He felt someone looking at him again, but it wasn't coming from the blonde bird, he looked over to his left and met with a pair of dark eyes staring right back at him; it was a female. He took in her small mouth and eyes into account and saw that she quite attractive. The color was dark and rich just like his own, then he saw her brows were swept upwards like his own and her ears were long and pointed... 'A Vulcan?'

He quickly swerved his head back to the front again.  
>This was irony at his finest, of course it would be that the one thing he was trying to get away from would be here looking right at him, but maybe he was getting ahead of himself and she was Romulan, it was hard to tell from this distance. At least if she were, that would be more tolerable.<p>

"To illustrate this point;" Commander Jones said loudly. " I will split you up into teams by the end of the day and you will have to work together for the remainder of the training."

Malek closed his eyes and sighed heavily, It just kept getting better and better. It was going to be a very long three months...

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Mid-day break could not come soon enough and while everyone was out getting nourishment; Malek made it a point to find another seat and ended up sandwiched between two older men. He did not mind this at all for it certainly was preferable to having to watch Fletcher bend over every ten minutes and show him her cleavage, or "accidentally" rub his arm. Had it not been for Denning's warning he would've taken the bait; the woman was indeed a voluptuous human specimen.

Before the training had commenced again, he caught the 'whatever she was' female looking at him again. She was quite tall, with a very lean figure, very pointed and stoic expression; yup, she was definitely Vulcan. At one point it looked as if she was going to come over and speak to him so he chose that particular moment to turn the other way and head out the building to take a quick breather.

There was no way he was going to get tangled in that mess, he didn't do it when he was on Vulcan and he sure as hell wasn't going to do it here on Earth when he was finally free to do what he wanted. He was leaning against the wall outside of the conference hall when he saw Zareth and Sarah walking towards him.  
>He unfolded his arms and a small smile formed on his lips.<p>

"Aren't you both the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day."

He saw Sarah grin mischievously, "Geez Malek, you looked miserable a few second ago, is the training that bad?" She asked teasingly.

Malek pinched the bridge of his nose and bowed his head. "You have no idea. Would any of you happen to know a ..." He quickly looked around to make sure she wasn't anywhere in sight before he continued. "A Diana Fletcher?" He finished in a whisper

Sarah's eyes lit up at that. "Don't tell me, she's here taking the training?"

"Do you know her?" Zareth asked. Sarah seemed to think about it before she answered. "I've heard of her, and that she has a reputation for getting around; it's all rumors though."

Malek scoffed. "I can tell you that I am 99.3% that those rumors probably have credibility." Malek said in a dry manner.

Sarah's eyes held a sort of mirth in them as she looked at him. "Maybe you're the change she needs in her life; I think you should go in there and sweep her off her feet."

Zareth stayed staring at her and then looked over at his brother who had an amused look on his face as he turned towards her. "Yes; I quite concur with your thoughts my Sarah."

She now directed her words to Zareth while looking at Malek with a grin. "It would be terribly rude of your brother to give her the brush off considering she came to this training specifically to be in his presence, he should be flattered, not complaining."

"Indeed he should." Zareth continued as they now were both looking at Malek while they talked.

"Will you listen to the two of you?" He said taken aback. He looked over at Sarah. "Since when did you become so sassy? And now you've got him doing it too! It's always the quiet one's!"

"You should show her the way Malek, show her the Vulcan way." Sarah said trying not to laugh.

She then looked over to the side and her grin grew even wider. "Speaking of the Vulcan way; It appears you're being watched Malek!"

Both Zareth and Malek turned around and looked over to see the Vulcan female looking at them, when she realized that she had been caught, she subtly turned back around and entered the conference hall again.

"Weirdo." Malek grumbled.

"What? Did you even take a good look at her? She's cute!" Sarah began.

"Don't even go there." Malek started. "At any rate she's probably got somebody waiting for her on Vulcan so either way it would be a lost cause."

"That is not necessarily true Malek." Zareth began. "When I arrived on Earth my previous bond had already been broken."

"It is highly unlikely that she would fall under the same circumstance brother."

Zareth nodded. "In either case I would concentrate on the task at hand, which is for you to do your best during training. You will have many an opportunity to find a suitable mate. It will happen; It happened for us." He said as he turned to Sarah. She smiled at him in turn, her cheeks taking on a pink hue. "And I'm so glad that it did."  
>She raised her hand for him to caress, which he instantly did with two fingers as they leaned closer to each other.<p>

"Alright! Alright! I'll see you both later!" Malek grumbled irritably. "Geez, they never stop!" He continued as he walked back into the hall; the Vulcan woman watching as he passed by and didn't even notice her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Malek met up with Zareth at the green room one evening. When he walked in he saw him sitting down with a cup of a tea in front of him but notably absent was Sarah. He honestly couldn't even remember the last time he saw them separate. He walked over to him right away and took a seat across from him.

"I trust you are well? Where is your female?" Malek began.

"I am very well. She is taking an examination; she knows we are here and should be arriving shortly. How does your training continue?" Zareth asked in turn.

"Fantastic! I mean… I'm not too thrilled about the fact that they've paired me in a team where one of the females is the Vulcan we saw the other day though. She reminds me greatly of mother and sometimes I feel as if I will be disciplined at any given moment."

Zareth raised a brow. "Doesn't she have a name? And what does she do professionally?"

"You know… I didn't even really bother to ask. Truth be told I have been a bit rude to her, even by Vulcan standards. Maybe I should attempt to be a little more cordial with her."

Zareth nodded and then breathed in loudly. "I have asked you to meet me here today specifically because Sarah and I have decided to leave in three days' time to Vulcan. We are going to have our official bonding ceremony since our finals would have concluded by then and the start of our third year begins after our three week recess."

"That is great news brother, I am indeed pleased. However you are aware that with my current training, I cannot leave planet. I will not have the privilege of being there."

Zareth nodded again. "I assumed as much and am sorry that you will not be there, but Sarah and I do not plan on staying there for more than two days. I have made her aware of the fact that the atmosphere and climate on Vulcan is far different than that of Earth and although she has not voiced this concern to me; I can feel through our bond that she will be ill at ease. We have discussed spending a week on Jardin II afterwards."

"Planet of the gardens; excellent choice, and their climate is almost identical to Earth." Malek said with a slight grin.

"Yes, she is very enthusiastic with regards to this since this will be her first time off planet."

"Really? You'd think with her knowledge and capacity that she would've traveled."

"When we return." Zareth continued. "We will be making preparations to move into the house; is this amendable to you?"

Malek gave him a blank stare. "Why are you asking me permission to move into your own house? It was built for both you and your mate; hell, you can move in now for all I care." He smirked and leaned closer to him. "This sounds like something Sarah would ask, did she put you up to this?"

Zareth gave him a small upturn of the lips.

"She may have brought up the subject. She feels moving in without your knowledge would be overstepping our boundaries."

"Such human mentality." Malek said in a stoic expression, causing Zareth to raise a brow. "Why Malek, that sounds so Vulcan, you sure this female is not rubbing off on you?"

Malek shook his head. "It would be my luck wouldn't it? Here I thought I would get paired up with a gorgeous human female and it turns out to be what I've been running from all my life. Now I'm even talking like her!"

"Do you not find her agreeable in appearance?" Zareth asked.

"No, no, no, she is very attractive; that is not the issue. The issue is that I feel as if I cannot be my true self around her."

"Why ever not? You have never cared what anyone thought of you before, why should you now?" Zareth asked with great interest.

Malek sighed deeply and looked off to the side. "That is a very good question, and thinking about it makes me want to contact my old ship mates and say that I've made a grave mistake and I want to go back on board with them."

"Do you?" Zareth asked.

Again he sighed. "No, that's the troubling part." He looked around the green room before looking back at Zareth. "I like it here. I understand why you've stayed and taken a mate here. If I were to leave… THAT would be a grave mistake, and I tire of it; I've made so many in my life time Zareth."

Zareth looked at Malek and relished in this particular moment as he sat in front of him in his Star Fleet staff uniform and for the first time realized that his younger brother was finally growing up and taking on responsibility. It was too bad that his parents were not here to witness it.

"I believe that your dealing with this new colleague is exactly the challenge that you need Malek; I would not flee from it but take it on full force, you never know what could occur."

"Nothing will occur!" Malek ground out.

"All the better then right?" Zareth said with a raised brow.

Malek didn't answer however, just continued to look off in the distance, not noticing the small smile on his brother's face.


	25. Chapter 25

**I don't own any of these awesome Irish Ballads. **

**This was an idea based on a conversation I had with ByaSouthernLady; hope I did ya proud girl!**

Malek and Denning had decided to spend the night out on the town. Sarah and Zareth had been gone for a week already and were expected to return in two days, the truth was that he actually missed them.

"Have you had any recent contact with them?" Denning asked over his beer.

Malek raised a brow, and gave him a "yeah right look"

"Those two don't even remember that other life exists within their own little Universe right now. I know where they're staying and it is not too far from the ideal paradise as most humans would understand it. They're staying at a private bungalow only steps away from the luxurious beaches of Jardin II. I can see them now, frolicking in the sand, surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush plant life, making love constantly, and then…"

"Yeah, that's a bit much Malek." Denning interrupted.

Malek looked over at him and realized that he still might be uncomfortable with the fact that Sarah was now officially a married woman. "I'm sorry; I know it must be hard for you."

Denning chuckled. "I've actually moved on pretty well if I do say so myself. I'm not completely over her but I will have no choice now will I? I never had a chance against your brother."

"Zilch" Malek replied bluntly. "I have never seen two beings carry on the way they do; it makes me sick."

Denning laughed and looked at him with a grin. "You want the same thing dontcha?"

Malek's silence was his answer, which caused Denning to chuckle even more. "I invited some friends to join us tonight, I hope you don't mind."

"Does it require that I have to act in a Vulcan manner?"

Denning thought about it. "No."

"Then no I don't mind." He said as he returned to his bourbon.

"And here they come." Denning said with a smile.

Malek turned around and saw two beautiful young women come in. The brunette wandered directly to Denning, but the red headed woman looked over at him and offered a small smile. Malek got up immediately and offered her his seat.

"I am Malek, and you are?" He said with a smile. She was gorgeous, bright blue eyes, beautiful red ringlets spiraling down her shoulders, and he liked that she was modestly dressed and not looking like the typical female's you came across at bars.

"Names Colleen." She replied. "Pleasure ter meet ye" She said with a small nod of her head and a wide smile.

"So charming." Malek said with intrigue, as he pulled up a stool next to her. "What can I get you to drink?"

"I'm a Rogue Stout lass meself; I'll have a pint o' that."

Malek's smile dimmed slightly, so she in turn looked at him with a mischievous grin. "Ye knows what Rogue Stout is?"

"I.. I must confess that I am not sure what it is."

She then looked at the glass in front of him and before he knew what had happened, she had taken it from him and downed it in one swig, his eyes growing wide in the process.  
>She smacked her lips as she tasted it and shook her head as if disappointed.<p>

"Oh laddie, that's weak mans drinkin'"

"You think Bourbon is weak?" He asked with amazement.  
>The bartender came by at that moment and looked at Malek but then smiled when he saw the red head. "Hey Missy, what are you having?"<p>

"Pint o' Rogue Stout, and set me Vulcan friend here with not one, but two; he's never had black gold before so he needs a bit o' catching up."  
>The bar tender chuckled as he gave Malek a sly look. "Looks like it's going to be a rough night" He said before he left to get their drinks.<p>

Malek wondered why he would say that, alcohol did not affect him the same as it did for humans, but his thoughts on that subject quickly diminished when he saw that she was smiling at him.

"So, Dennin' says yer takin' up staff at Star Fleet."

He nodded. "I've been traveling out in space for several years and I thought it prudent to settle down somewhere for once."

"On Earth, not Romulus?" She asked.

He gave her a grin. "I'm from Vulcan actually."

Her eyes lit up and she gently caressed his arm in an apologetic manner, but to him it triggered sensations that resembled anything but an apology. He looked at her hand and then back at her lovely face watching her carefully as she apologized; she was a very attractive female indeed, could she perhaps be the one?

"And here are your drinks, that's two stouts there Jimmy; cheers!"

Her eyes lit up. "I thought yer name was May-lee" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Yer sure yer not pulling me tail about being Vulcan?" She actually looked angry as she said this, allowing him to see already that this fine female had a bit of a fiery streak in her.

"I am, it's just that he calls me that; I've heard him say it to others as well. His way of joking I suppose."

She didn't seem to buy it, but she didn't comment further on the subject and picked up her pint and drank almost more than half of it in several gulps.

"AHHHHHHH! " She said loudly as she slammed the glass back down on the counter, and wiped the foam off her lip with the back of her hand in a very unlady –like manner.  
>"That's me black gold. Aint nothin' like it!" She saw that he hadn't tried it and was looking rather uncomfortably; she figured he needed to loosen up a bit and nodded towards his glasses.<br>"Well, go on; better ter drink it cold I always say."

**SEVERAL PINTS LATER…  
><strong>  
>"<em>You may travel far far from your own native home<em>

Far away oer the mountains far away oer the foam

But of all the fine places that I've ever seen,

There's none to compare with The Cliffs of Dooneen

Take a view oer the water fine sights you'll see there

You'll see the high rocky slopes on the West coast of Clare

The towns of Kilrush and Kilkee can be seen."

Colleen took hold of Malek's hand and waved it up in the air. "SING IT WITH ME MAY-LEE"

Malek firmly took hold of her hand and started singing along with her, so loudly that even Denning turned around from his date and watched as they sang.

_"From_ _the high rocky slopes at The Cliffs of Dooneen_

_Its a nice place to be on a fine Summer's day_

_Watching all the wild flowers that ne'er do decay_

_The hare and lofty pheasant are plain to be seen_

_Making homes for their young round The Cliffs of Dooneen_

_Fare thee well to Dooneen fare thee well for a while_

_And to all the fine people I'm leaving behind_

_To the streams and the meadows where late I have been_

_And the high rocky slopes of The Cliffs of Dooneen."_

When they finished, some people clapped, some whistled, and some simply turned away not amused.  
>"I think we need to get you out of here." Denning said as he began to grab Malek by the arm.<p>

"But.. but.. I .. just sang my first ballad! An Irish ballad Denning! Did you see?"  
>Denning looked at him with alarm.<p>

"What the hell did you drink tonight? Malek?

"Somethin called: Rogue Stout!" He said with the same accent as Colleen, and followed it with a loud hiccup.

"Jesus Malek, that's a chocolate based stout!"

"Hmmmm?" Malek said as he squinted at Denning.  
>"Stop moving around so much Denning, it's making me dizzy."<p>

"We've gotta go, now!" Denning said she he paid their credits and grabbed Malek.

"NOO!" Colleen said as she threw herself on Malek.

"I was just startin' to have a wee bit o' fun with Maylee!"

"Fun time's over sweet heart; I have to get Maylee home." He turned towards his date and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about this, raincheck?"  
>She gave him a small smile. "Absolutely, but next time I'd prefer it to be a one-on-one date." She said as she looked at the Malek who currently had his eyes closed and was breathing hard as he was leaning completely against Denning.<p>

Denning looked at him and then back at her. "Absolutely! Oh and.. Can you drive her home and make sure she's safe?"  
>He pointed towards Colleen who was singing yet another Ballad:<p>

"_C'mon boys let's go tonight_  
><em>Beer is flowin' we'll drink all night<em>  
><em>Bring your pints and gather 'round<em>  
><em>Line 'em up we'll knock them down<em>

_Raise your glasses say a toast_  
><em>To the lassies' Father and the Holy Ghost<em>  
><em>Three Hail Marys and Holy Be<em>  
><em>For Scotland, Ireland, and AmeriKay<em>"

Wow, looks as if she likes that Romulan friend of yours!"

"He's not.." Denning began. "Nevermind, I'll be in touch."

He winked at her and started to drag Malek out of the bar when Colleen started yelling after them.  
>"Call me May-lee!<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"This is so nice Zareth, I could stay here forever." Sarah said as she wrapped her arms around him. They were waist deep in the crystal clear waters just outside their bungalow, only the water covered their naked bodies.  
>She had worn a peach colored one piece bathing suit the first day, and tried to get Zareth to wear some neon orange Hawaii print board shorts she had gotten him; it had been the only pair in his size.<br>Despite the fact that they were in a private and secluded area, he still refused to wear them.

"I would rather not wear anything at all." He had said as he viewed them with obvious distaste. She in turn had given him a mischievous grin. "That works just fine by me." She had said and so now neither of them wore anything.

He pulled her closer to him as he replied: "I'm afraid that staying forever is not an option, but we can most certainly return in the future."

She smiled as she took hold of his left hand, looking at the ring that she had given him. She knew that such sentimentalities for Vulcans simply were not done, but he had willingly agreed to her request.  
>"I want the world to know that you belong to me, that is why I want you to wear my ring." She had simply said, and that apparently had been enough to convince him.<p>

She kissed the ring and then his hand and progressively moved from his hand to his arm and eventually his face where things became heated and they were once again reminded why having disposed of their bathing attire from the start had been an excellent idea.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Uggggggggggggggggh" Malek said when he woke up. His head pounding in a maddening fashion. When his vision finally focused, he placed his hand over his forehead and sighed loudly. "Computer, what time is it?"

"830 hours"  
>His eyes grew wide and he got out of bed with a start. Unfortunately his mind and his body were still not quite in sync and he ended up falling over; it was not going to be a good day.<p>

He didn't show up until the beginning of the afternoon session of his training and it seemed as if nobody had even noticed his absence except of course for the Vulcan female. She kept staring at him until she finally mentioned to him.  
>"I noticed your absence this morning."<p>

He looked at her briefly before returning to his work. "I had to report to sickbay." Was all he replied.  
>She continued to look at him for a while before continuing. "I hope they were able to remedy your situation."<p>

"Yes; they did." Was all he said, before he picked up his PADD and walked over to another team member and began discussing their current project, not even giving her a backward glance as she continued to look at him for several seconds before turning around and heading elsewhere.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the day before Zareth and Sarah were due to arrive back and Malek had been going over some sketches for his training that evening. He rubbed his hand over his face and realized that he needed to take a break. He thought about calling Denning to see if he wanted to go out but remembered that he had mentioned previously that he was going out on a date with the brunette from the other night at the bar.

Denning had mentioned to him that Colleen wanted to see him again, to which Malek scoffed in reply. "I never thought I'd meet a woman who was too much woman; I couldn't handle being with her, I'd be dead within a week." He had replied.

On impulse, Malek decided to go for a walk around the bay area, they had a nice park there and some good restaurants along the way he could probably stop into on the way back. He was walking towards the bench that afforded a good view of the water when he saw two young women skating towards him, one of them looked oddly familiar. He continued to look and noticed that the one he thought he recognized stopped about a foot away from him, her companion stopped as well upon seeing her.

"Malek." She said in a stoic fashion.

He narrowed his eyes, "_It can't be_.."

He was trying to make out her ears but couldn't since they were presently covered by the helmet. She took off her sunglasses and he realized it was the female Vulcan from his training course. His breath hitched as she tossed her curly brown hair away from her face. He had never seen her with her hair down for she always kept it up in a bun. He took in her attire, ranging from her shorts that showed off her well-toned legs, to the hot pink tank top. She had knee pads and wrist pads as well.

"You skate?" He asked, not at all disguising his shock in front of her, she did not seem taken aback by his emotional outburst.

"As you see. It is an excellent form of exercise and method to practice balance." She said simply, she then motioned towards the young woman beside her. "This is my friend Narij."  
>She had lovely dark skin and silky onyx hair. She offered him a small smile and waved a hand in the air. "Nice to meet you." She said in a high pitched voice.<p>

Yes, she was human, and very pretty but not really his type. He then looked back towards the Vulcan female, again noting her enticing and uncommon attire.

"I take it that you are in better health since you have ventured out of campus grounds" It was a question but more of a statement really.

"Yes!" He said suddenly, catching himself openly staring at her, this would not do at all.  
>"Just getting some exercise myself, then I plan to find place to eat, any suggestions?"<p>

She looked over at her friend Narij who smiled in turn. "We always go to Abdol's down the street at least once a week; they have very good Indian food, lots of vegetarian options. Try it out."

Malek was surprised to find that he wanted to continue the conversation, but for once, he didn't really know what to talk about, and the fact was that he was still in shock over the fact that the woman was wearing such revealing human attire and sporting a pair of skates, skates!"

Narij looked at him and then over at her friend before she grinned and chuckled slightly.  
>"T'Mari and I have to go now, but maybe you'd like to join us at Abdol's sometime?"<p>

"_So that was her name_.."

Before he could even think about it further he found himself nodding.  
>"How about tomorrow? 1800 hours?" He felt himself say.<p>

Narij smiled. "That's fine with me, you T'Mari?"

She nodded as well; she was now tugging on the top of her helmet with one hand while the other was on her hip, even her laid back stance took him off guard. "That is an agreeable time frame." She said.  
>She looked over at Malek and he was shocked even more to find that she had formed a hint of a smile on her lips and a spark in her eyes as she said: "We shall see each other tomorrow at training no doubt."<p>

"No doubt." He replied, but it felt as if it wasn't even coming from him.

She nodded and her friend gave another little wave as they left, leaving him to watch after them. It wasn't until they were gone from total view that Malek finally swallowed the lump in his throat.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"This is our final night Zareth." Sarah whispered in a saddened fashion. They were sitting out in the balcony enjoying another "Romantic candlelit dinner." As Sarah liked to call it, he had to admit it had quickly become an agreeable tradition.

"Why should it be? We have two balconies in our new home. I do not see why we could not continue to do this when return to Earth."

"Will we have the time?" Sarah asked.

He raised a brow. "We will make time."  
>She smiled at him, noting how he looked off to the side as if thinking about something else, and she could sense a sort of nostalgic sentiment through their bond.<br>"You miss him don't you?"  
>He looked at her again and sighed. "I worry for him; he is a very complicated individual."<p>

"I think you're not giving him enough credit. From everything you've told me about him, it sounds like he can straighten up and get down to business when he needs to."

"Or he can do the exact opposite; he has always been very unpredictable."

"Zareth, I know this is none of my business but humor my curiosity."

He nodded.

"If your parents chose a mate for you at a young age, did they not do the same for him?"

He sighed loudly and leaned back against his chair. For a moment she thought he wasn't going to answer her, and she tried to pick up what he was feeling through their bond, but then he began speaking again. "They did, but Malek has always been a rebel, and he never actually even had a chance to meet his intended since her family decided to pull back on the arrangement after the discovery was made that Malek partook in various schemes during his youth. Despite the many times he was disciplined and counseled he never changed, and after a while our parents simply stopped trying to arrange a mate.  
>He left planet barely having turned twenty and has never returned."<p>

He paused for a moment before he continued to speak. "In all honesty Sarah, I believe that had he not left of his own volition, something would've occurred where he would've been forced to leave."

Sarah gave him an apologetic look. "That must've been very hard on your family."

"His leaving relieved them of much pressure, there is no doubting that."

"Your father seemed almost surprised to find that he had taken employment with Star Fleet when you told him the news." She said as she remembered their brief time on Vulcan.

"Yes; I would surmise that as well. Malek is not the kind to stay rooted in one place so it was logical for father to react in that manner."

"Now that we're on the subject of our stay on Vulcan; I have been meaning to ask you, who was the older gentleman that came to visit you just before we were getting ready to leave? The one that gave me the odd look and then didn't even say anything to me?"

Again Zareth went silent and simply looked at her as if trying to decide whether to tell her or not.  
>She opened her mouth to speak again but he beat her to it. "That was the father of my ex-mate."<p>

"WHAT?" She said so suddenly that it made him jump slightly. "Why didn't you tell me? and what the heck was he doing there? Zareth?"

Zareth picked up his chair and placed it next to hers so that he could have easy access to her hands, she was going to pull away but he quickly interlocked his fingers over hers and immediately she felt a wave of calm.  
>"There is no need for you to upset yourself over this information Sarah. He simply came to offer his ... I guess you could refer to it as congratulations, as to why he reacted in such a manner I can only conclude is because he might've not expected me to replace his daughter with someone like you."<p>

She slanted her head to the side. "What does that mean exactly? Because I'm human?" He could feel her becoming upset again, it wasn't directed towards him but it still displeased him. She was still trying to pull away from his grasp but he kept his hand firmly in place.

"You misunderstand me Sarah." He said as he leaned closer to her, looking deep into her eyes. "She wasn't like you because she was nowhere near as beautiful as you are. Nor as brilliant or as caring."  
>That stopped her short and all she could do was sit there and blink for a few seconds as he continued to look at her, trying to gage her reaction.<p>

"But that's so... "

"Illogical, I know."

All of the sudden her stunned expression changed into a large smile, it never ceased to amaze him how quickly her moods fluctuated.  
>"You think I'm beautiful?" She whispered in his ear as she caressed his fingers.<p>

He took a deep breath at the sensations her fingers always caused him. "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answer to?" He whispered back, pressing harder against her fingers as he dominated the movement.  
>She gave him a sly smirk as she kissed his cheek and then moved towards his ear where she took the tip of his ear lobe in her mouth; he loved it when she did that.<p>

"If you do not cease this activity…" He sucked in a ragged breath." I will not be responsible for taking you here on this balcony." He said as he gave her better access.  
>Her response was to twirl her tongue slowly around the small bit of flesh that was currently in her mouth.<p>

"Ohhh human…The things you do to me.." He said as she suddenly picked her up off the chair with one arm, eliciting an excited yelp from her. She giggled against his chest. "Yes, if you take me here it'll mean that we've successfully made love in every room here in the bungalow."  
>She encouraged him as she helped him take off the t-shirt that she was actually able to convince him to wear and a pair of cargo shorts that he had worn for a whopping total of 45 minutes, it was actually the longest they had gone wearing clothing during the entirety of their stay.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Malek didn't stay long at the park and even bypassed eating dinner he was so deep in thought.

_T'Mari  
><em>He kept thinking over and over again, why does that name strike some kind of chord?  
>That night he actually tried meditation, it had been a long time since he had done it, and still he could not get that nudging feeling to go away.<p>

He got up and decided it was time to face this head on. He walked over to his computer and seemed to think about it some more before finally giving in.

"Computer, connect me with my parents on Vulcan."


	27. Chapter 27

Malek didn't get any sleep that night.

He spent most of it either meditating or just thinking in general. His parents had confirmed his suspicions and although he did not go into details with them about his reason for calling, he knew it was a matter of time before they put two and two together.

The question was, what was he going to do about his current situation? The easy way out would be to just go back to ignoring her, and actually; had it been the old Malek traveling around in his space cruiser, that's probably exactly what he would've done. As tempting as that option might've been at one point, it wasn't so now.

He didn't want to leave things as they were, he wanted to know why she was here now, and not on Vulcan tending to some emotion-suppressant droid bearing his kids and doing as she was told. Surely they had fixed her up with someone deserving after the fall out for which he took complete blame for. He never once mentioned that she had had knowledge of what he would do as well, sometimes even help with the planning, and he guessed that nobody ever found out that they had long met before it had even been decided that they would be intended for one another. There wasn't a romantic sentiment behind it as such since they were too young at the time, but rather a connection of minds and personality. In the public eye, they did as was expected (most of the time anyway) but when they'd sneak off in secret, they could do as they pleased and not have to answer to anyone.  
>She had been the human equivalent of a best friend.<p>

When he had discovered that she was to be his intended he had been thrilled; again, not because of a romantic sentiment, but because it meant that they could scheme whenever they wished and not have to hide anymore, but then he found out that her parents had backed out, and in all honesty, he was never the same after that.  
>She had sent him a letter through her cousin explaining to him that it changed nothing between them, but it did to him.<br>He never replied, and he never heard from her again since her family moved shortly after that; he never found out where.

It explained so much.. Her attire, her activities; how did he not see it before?

He was the first to arrive at the conference hall that day, and she arrived shortly afterwards, her hair and expressions back to that of a model Star Fleet officer, and completely Vulcan.

"Good Morning" She said in her usual stoic expression. He remained looking at her, remembering that same face she'd put on in front of others in public as well. Was he so out of touch that it had taken this long for him to figure it out it was her all this time? Except no longer was she the small child he remembered; no, she was a gorgeous female specimen now; he finally admitted to himself.

He walked up to her, his expression grave. "We have to talk." He began.

He thought momentarily that she'd say no, or have him wait til after the training and was surprised to find that she simply looked around to make sure nobody was around before nodding and heading out the same way she came in. They walked away from the building quickly and once they were close to the outside gates, their pace slowed down.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"There's a tea shop around the corner, we can speak there." She nodded and they walked in silence until they got to the shop, she sat down while he placed an order, all the while her eyes were fixated on him, and a small knowing smile graced her lips as she thought to herself:  
>"<em>He's finally figured it out."<em>He brought the tea over, poured her some and looked directly at her as he asked: "Why didn't you tell me it was you?"

She looked down at the tea, noting he didn't pour any for himself before she looked up at him.

"I tried, on several occasions I might add."

"T'Mari! Couldn't you have put some effort in the attempt? How was I to fathom that it was you?"  
>She raised a brow and to his surprise, her lip curved up mischievously, it caused his mouth to go dry and his heart rate to increase.<p>

"I always did find it fascinating when you spoke aggressively." She said in a voice that was very unlike the usual stoic way he was accustomed to hearing; she would sometimes do the same when they were young and alone. Experiencing it again after so much time caused his body to ache and a low groan almost escaped him.

He took a deep breath and repressed his growing inner desire for her; it was a bit alarming for it had never happened to him before like this.

He looked her directly in the eyes as he said:  
>"Well, you're here now so that settles it; when do we make arrangements for you to become my mate?" He was absolutely serious.<p>

She checked her surroundings and since nobody was around, she leaned back against her chair in a laid back fashion, taking him in as he sat there, his mind and body clearly in turmoil.

"Who said I want to bond with you?" She replied with a slight smirk.

His eyes doubled in size. "But you're here; we have finally found one another! It is only..."

"What? Logical?" She answered, a smirk still on her face.  
>"Since when do you follow logic?" She added.<p>

"Then what are you doing here?" He said, not at all hiding his exasperation.

She raised a brow in turn. "That was always your problem Malek, you always thought the Universe revolved around you."

"Yes, that's why I never once brought you up during my interrogations back on Vulcan!" He replied hotly.

"And that's why you never even thought to seek me out after you left planet?" She retorted calmly.

He lowered his head and in a softer voice replied: "I assumed you had been paired off with another, for all I knew you were married and raising children."

She stayed looking at him for a long while; he still was not looking at her but off to the side as if remembering.

"I do not think you understand what I had to suppress when you left. Nobody knows, not my parents, not my brother; no one."

"You were not the only afflicted Malek, nor were you the only one who left planet."

He looked up at that, being caught off guard. "Where did you go?"

She placed her hands on the table and gave a hint of a small smile. "Earth of course."

He folded his hands in front of him and looked at the table as if concentrating before he finally spoke again. "So you did not come here to find me?"

She shook her head. "No one was as surprised as I was to find you sitting at the conference hall trying desperately to run away from that man-eating humanoid Fletcher."  
>He scoffed at that before looking back at her, his expression growing serious once again. "T'Mari. whatever your reasons for being here now; you realize I will not let you go. I've seen how you watch me from afar, and how you've been following me but until recently it didn't make a lot of sense to me so you cannot deny that the attraction and connection is not solely on my end."<p>

She raised a brow. "What if I still decide not to accept you?"

"I will do what is necessary to have you accept me. I have found you and I will not let you go this time."

He extended two fingers towards her, she stayed staring at them for a while before looking up at him and after several seconds, she finally extended two fingers herself and pressed them against his.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Malek had made previous arrangements to meet Zareth and Sarah at the shuttle station, but instead; a mousey looking man wearing a Star Fleet uniform was waiting for them instead. Sarah could feel that this caused Zareth alarm so she tried to calm him through their bond. The man approached them and even his voice was squeaky as he asked; "Are you cadets Zareth, and Sarah?"

Zareth nodded. "Affirmative, why is my brother Malek not here to greet us?"

"Malek has had unexpected obligations that he and another Staff member are tending to, he wanted me to relay to you both that he is sorry that he couldn't be here in person but that he would catch up with you both later."

Sarah could feel that this news calmed Zareth, and after stopping to get something to eat, they went back to their quarters and immediately began the packing process.

"If we continue at this rate, I don't see why we cannot spend the night in our new home." Zareth commented while he stacked three boxes on top of each other.

Sarah was just taping another box when she turned around to look at him. "Zareth, we don't have any furniture in the house, unless you intend on having us sleep on the floor."

He raised a brow. "There are many Earth cultures that do exactly that."

She went back to packing and didn't answer him; he knew she was not keen on this idea, so he tried something else.

"If I acquire proper bedding, would you be amendable to staying the night there?"

"I guess we could try to find some sleeping bags, have a camp out in the room." She said as a memory suddenly came to the forefront of her mind.

"Pitch a tent, roast marshmallows over an open fire and make smores. Mmmm.. chocolatey smores." Her eyes suddenly brightened as she got up from her previous position. He looked at her in a confused manner.

"Pitch a tent? Smores? I do not understand this concept." He said as he watched her approach him.  
>She cradled his face in her hands and gave him a deep kiss that left him wanting more. "I'll go get the sleeping bags, and you stay here and pack, you're much faster than I am anyway."<p>

Before he could respond, she was out the door, leaving him with a raised brow and a handful of her things. He picked one up and looked at it; it was the scarf he had given her the first time she had come to his quarters.  
>He felt the material in his hand before he lifted it up to his face and inhaled deeply; it smelled like her, and of him mixed together. He looked around the space and allowed a sense of pride swell within him that he and his beloved Sarah had indeed come a long way in such a short amount of time, and now they were officially married and moving into their very own home.<p>

He carefully put away the scarf as he continued to pack with renewed energy.


	28. Chapter 28

Malek looked up at the time from where he sat and knew that Sarah and Zareth had long since arrived. He looked across the table and watched as T'Mari's friend continued to talk about clothes and shopping, to his surprise T'Mari seemed actually interested in what she was saying.

"So they're having a Summer sale and I tried on this super cute baby blue dress but I don't like the way it made my.." She looked off to the side where Malek was sitting and changed the subject.

"So, anyway…You need to stop by cause I know you'd probably find some awesome apparel with that hot bod of yours."  
>It was amusing to hear her speak so fast in her high pitched voice; it was similar to how humans sounded when they took in helium in attempt to change their voices, completely irrational, but amusing all the same, he did not know how T'Mari could stand it.<p>

"I'll stop by one day after I have concluded my training." She replied. "You can tell me what your schedule is like and perhaps we can go together."

"Totally! For sure!" Narij said in an excited manner.

Malek raised a bored brow.

Narij looked up at Malek who had now turned his head and was openly staring at T'Mari with desire. Narij smiled and got up.

"I have to go powder my nose; I'll be right back." She said, to which Malek didn't even give a backwards glance at.

After he made sure that Narij was out of sight he raised a brow at T'Mari. "What do we have to do to ditch the fashion diva?" He said in a low whisper.

She graced him with a small smirk. "That fashion diva happens to be my friend Malek."

"Fine, I shall clarify; what do we have to do to ditch, 'your friend?'" He was leaning so close that his breath tickled her ear which twitched involuntarily.

Malek took note of this and smirked before he spoke again, this time a little closer.  
>"Tell her we have to go study, it wouldn't be a lie. I want to spend time alone with you, is that too much to ask?"<p>

He lifted his hand but kept it under the table so that his fingers caressed hers, she didn't even try to stop him, he knew she wouldn't; on the contrary, she caressed right back so expertly that it almost made his eyes roll back in pleasure. She let out a low giggle which drew his attention towards her face. He dared to lean even closer towards her and was now just inches away from her neck, her aroma driving his senses wild. He dared to press his lips against the delicate skin before he felt her pull away.

"Malek! We are in public!"

"So?" He whispered in her ear. "People think I'm a Romulan half the time anyway, who cares?"

She looked at him with a serious expression before it broke out into a small smile. "Yes, I get that at times as well." She said as she moved her head to give him better access.

There was a loud throat clearing and Malek pulled away instantly while T'Mari's eyes grew wide in shock. Narij couldn't suppress a laugh as they both looked as if they had been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing.

"Hey guys, I hate to eat and run, but I have to go." She turned to Malek and gave him one of her eager smiles. "It was nice seeing you again Mr. Malek."

"Just Malek is fine, and it was a pleasure to see you too." He was openly smiling and didn't care; the diva was leaving and he couldn't be more pleased.

Narij looked over at T'Mari with a smirk: "Message me later with all the juicy details T'Mari." She said as she gave her wink.

After she left, Malek looked over at her. "You're not really going to tell her what we do are you?"

T'Mari raised a brow. "What if I do? Humans, particularly females; partake in a ritual where they all gather together and eat horrible foods and 'dish out' all the things they do and encounter with regards to the opposite sex."

He stayed staring at her for a while before asking: "Let me guess; this is something you do as well?"

She shrugged while grabbing a piece of naan bread and soaking up some of her lentils with it. "Occasionally, even if it's just to listen and partake of the food."

"But you just said it was horrible."

"You misunderstand me, it's horribly delicious, but it is usually high in caloric intake, and of almost no nutritional value; pizza is a good example; have you had that yet?"

Malek couldn't suppress a low chuckle, particularly at the night and day difference her voice and expressions took on when they were alone. "My goodness; I'm going to be bonded to a Vulcan who thinks she's human!"

"You're one to talk; Romulan."

"It's ok." He said as he openly put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, she did not argue against this. "My brother recently bonded with a human, you may ask her for pointers."

Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

He nodded. "He's head over heels for her too, it is amusing to see their interplay. At first he would outright deny that his passion for her blinded him of all reason but now he seems to have come to terms with it"

She thought about it for a moment before she exclaimed. "They were the ones that were with you that day! I remember seeing her; she's a very beautiful female, but I thought your brother already had a mate back on Vulcan, did he not?"

Malek nodded. "She deceived him though, and eventually left him for a Betazoid."

She seemed thoughtful for a moment before replying: "It sounds like he's better off with the human then."

Malek nodded again. "He is, not only is Sarah five times more beautiful than the stoic droid he had for a mate before, but he has changed greatly since they've been together. Before I found my brother intolerable to be around and now…" He smiled to himself. "I actually find myself seeking their company.  
>Although.. Lately I seem to be the butt of all their jokes."<p>

Her eyes grew wide yet again: "They both partake in humorous interplay with you? Fascinating; I am eager to become acquainted with them so I can add my share as well."

He gave her a malicious look before it broke out into a smile. "You will k'diwa, you will."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I do not understand the purpose of sleeping outdoors when we have a perfectly comfortable master bedroom we can sleep in." Zareth said as he helped Sarah pitch the tent in the backyard of the house.

"Because..." She said as she was driving the stake into the ground. "We don't have either water or power in the house until tomorrow so I can't cook smores inside the house."

"What is this activity we are partaking in?"

"It's called camping, and normally it's done as an economic alternative to staying the night at some establishment, but it's also done with the intent to be away from modern appliances and be one with nature."

He raised a brow at that, but didn't comment on it.

"Ok, I think that should be about right." She said as she stood up and looked at the erected green tent. She looked at him in an expectant manner which he replied with a questionable stare.  
>"Well?" She asked.<br>He blinked in response.  
>"Go on in, test it out."<br>She said half laughing from the look on his face. He gave a small huff before he kneeled on the floor and crawled in, she quickly followed suit as she sat next to him.

"It is roomier than how it appears from the outside." He commented as he looked around. "And cozy" She replied with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  
>He kissed her back for several seconds before he pulled one of the hands that was around his neck and brought it down so that he could press his fingers against hers. The sensation of skin contact had him groan against her lips, and he felt her smile in turn.<br>She pulled away for breath and looked deep into his eyes, her lips swollen and pink. "_I love you_" She whispered to him via their bond before she continued to kiss him.

"_And I you." _He answered back, pulling her against his body so tightly that she could hardly move, but soon they started to shed each other's clothes, Sarah purposely taking her time with the buttons on his shirt.

In the middle of their heated activities, they heard Malek speaking just outside the tent:

"Do you see this T'Mari? I buy them land and build them a state of the art masterpiece of a house and this is where they wind up; in a tent."

"Malek, they appear to be occupied at present. It would be wise to return at a later time." A female voice neither of them recognized replied.

"They're always occupied with one another, it's a wonder I am not an Uncle yet!" Malek said hotly.

Sarah and Zareth suddenly stilled and backed away from each other, Sarah emitting an irritated groan as she put her undershirt back on while Zareth took a deep breath trying to center himself.

"It sounds like somebody else is with him." Sarah commented, and as if to answer her; Malek called out. "Come on out love birds! I want to introduce you to my future mate."

Zareth's head suddenly jerked up against the tent so hard that the stakes ripped from the ground, the top part of the tent fell off to the side exposing them and the ground they were laying on.

Zareth's eyes were wide as he stood looking at the female next to him, and then at Malek himself in disbelief while Sarah wrapped herself up in her unbuttoned jacket and waved at Malek and the woman standing beside him. "Hi, welcome to the family."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"A mate Malek? I thought you reckless and irresponsible before, but now you're dragging another person into your mess, and Vulcan no less! How did she even agree to this?" Zareth said as he stood before him with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his expression severe.  
>They had gone into the house even though it was starting to get dark to have privacy, Sarah and T'Mari remained outside talking.<p>

Malek raised a brow and looked him from top to bottom. "Are you quite done now brother?"

Zareth remained stoic, to Malek it almost looked as if he was sulking; if the situation had not been what it was at present he would've laughed.

"It's a long story Zareth, and what I'm telling you now is something I have never told another living soul, so please let me finish what I am about to say and then you can ask me questions."

Zareth nodded, his expression now changing to that of one who is intrigued.

Malek spoke for almost an hour, and when he was finally done, Zareth was looking at Malek in a manner he had never seen before.

"Why did you not confide in me to tell me this information before? We could've helped you. You could've perhaps been reunited and bonded sooner."

Malek sighed. "You know how I am Zareth, There are some things where I am totally Vulcan at, and keeping things of this nature private is one of them. There are certain things that I share with no one, particularly something that was so extremely painful. I have to tell our parents now, and I don't know how they will take to the news."

"For once, I believe they will venture to see the positive outcome in this. You're finally going to be settling down and forming a family with T'Mari, are you not?"

Malek smiled. "I absolutely plan on that. I might make you an Uncle before you and Sarah make one of me!"

Zareth nodded. "I believe that this will please our parents. You need not fear on that subject." He looked up and could see Sarah and T'Mari outside, they seemed to be getting along as Sarah was smiling as she spoke while T'Mari too seemed to have a slight upturn of the lips.

"I think it would be prudent for us to partake of an outing sometime." Zareth said as he was still watching his Sarah. "In this way we can get to know your future mate and she can get to know us."

Malek grinned and acted as if he were shocked. "Did you just suggest we all go on an outing together?"

"Sarah would appreciate this, and I know that you would too."

"Fine, but T'Mari and I pick the place."

Zareth raised a brow as he thought about it. T'Mari seemed like a down to earth, logical Vulcan; surely there would be no repercussions to leaving them to make such a decision if she has a say in the matter.  
>Before he knew it, he was nodding and replying: "I shall agree to this."<p>

Malek grinned mischievously. "Great! Let's go tend to our females shall we?" Zareth nodded and followed after. Yes, he had made a logical choice….right?


	29. Chapter 29

The week went by in a blur, and it was mostly spent with Sarah and Zareth getting settled in to their new home. Denning had stopped by at one point with a house warming surprise of an entire dining room set for their kitchen. Currently their master bedroom only had a bed they had purchased after the third day of laying on sleeping bags proved to be too unbearable and a small table that they used as a night stand.

They knew it would take time before they could fill up their house with things. Luckily the house already came with the major appliances so right now Sarah's favorite room was the kitchen since it was properly equipped.  
>Soon the semester started up again and Sarah and Zareth were thrown into work full force. There were days where they only saw each other for a few minutes during mid-day breaks and not again until late at night since Sarah was working alongside Denning's group starting up the new G-Oracle system while Zareth had his own engineering duties to tend to apart from his normal classes.<p>

It was proving to be extremely stressful for Sarah in particular since she had gotten accustomed to spending much more time with Zareth, but whenever she felt like it was too much, she would most times feel a soothing sensation coming from him through their bond and she understood that he too must be missing her as well although he of course could control it much better than she could.

After the first month, things finally started to settle down a little bit and the weekend was coming up where it finally didn't require for neither Sarah nor Zareth to have to be on campus.  
>They were sitting down next to each other in the bar area of the kitchen as they had just finished eating.<p>

"So, what do you want to do this weekend?" She asked him.

He seemed to think about it for a moment before he replied: "I require nothing in specific so long as whatever activity we partake in includes us being together." He remained perfectly stoic, but she could see his desire for her in his eyes.

"When was the last time you've spoken to your brother?" She asked.

"Two weeks, 2 days, 7 hours, 19 minutes."

"Zareth! You should at least leave him a message or something. As a matter of fact, why don't we have him and T'Mari come over for dinner tomorrow? It's important for family to be together."

Zareth nodded for it was true; it's just that everyone had been so busy lately that it was hard to set time aside for extracurricular activities.

"I shall get in touch with him this moment." He said as he got off the bar stool and went towards the computer.

Malek answered almost immediately, he looked exhausted but still managed a smile when he saw both Sarah and Zareth at the other end of the screen.

"It's the love birds! Finally decided to interact with others outside of your nest?"

Sarah smiled while Zareth remained perfectly impassive to his comment. "As you know Malek, the start of the semester can be trying time-wise."

"Oh, say none of that! This training feels like it's never going to end! If it weren't for the fact that T'Mari is in my team, I might've given up by now."

"How is she by the way?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, she's fine! I believe that she's out rollerblading with that diva friend of hers. She said she wanted to invite you sometime Sarah, but I said I'd ask you first since I didn't know if you knew how to skate."

Sarah shook her head. "I don't I'm sorry to say, but she had also mentioned something about getting together and going shopping sometime. I would enjoy that since there are things I need to get for the house still."

Malek nodded. "Fine, I'll let her know."

"Malek;" Zareth began. "We would like to know if you and T'Mari would like to come over for dinner tomorrow since much time has passed in which we have not been in each other's company."

Malek thought for a moment. "Yes, that is quite true, and we did say that we were to have an outing which T'Mari and I would choose…." A wicked kind of smirk formed on his lips which made Sarah's eyes grow marginally wider.

"Fine, we shall accept your invitation, but after dinner, we shall go someplace of our choosing, agreed?"

Both Sarah and Zareth raised a brow which caused Malek to chuckle in turn. "Both of you spend so much time together that you're even starting to look alike!" His face became serious quickly as he asked again:  
>"So it is agreed?"<p>

Zareth looked at Sarah who simply shrugged her shoulders in a: "I don't care" fashion while he nodded in turn.

"Fine, We shall see you tomorrow at 1800 hours with T'Mari."

"Excellent, till then." He replied and then the screen went blank.

Sarah turned to Zareth and offered him a smile; she was about to ask him what they should prepare for dinner that day before he abruptly took her face in his smooth hands and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and relished in the sensation as she ran her fingers through his silky hair.

"I think it logical if we retire to our bedroom." He said in a husky voice after several minutes of kissing. Before she could even answer, he was already lifting her up and carrying her bride style through the dining room and up the stairs.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The door chimed and Sarah ran hurried over to the door, they were of course right on time.

"Hey! Welcome! Welcome!" Sarah said delightedly as she flung open the door for them to enter.

Malek offered her a wide smile as he handed her a bottle of red wine. "This is for you Sarah and uh…" He turned over to T'Mari who held a brown bottle; upon further inspection she realized that it was a bottle of chocolate liqueur.

"And this is for you and your mate when you're alone later." T'Mari said with a small upturn of her lips. Sarah stood as if in shock. She would expect it from Malek but definitely not from T'Mari. They really were a match made in heaven. Sarah stood there, her cheeks burning and not knowing exactly where to look, especially after the memory of them having been discovered by them in the tent that one time came to the forefront of her mind.

Zareth finally made his appearance so Sarah hastily hid the Chocolate liqueur behind her back.  
>"Look Zareth, they brought us wine!" She said handing him the red bottle and taking off to the kitchen with the chocolate one still hidden. She opened one of the lower cabinets and stuck the liqueur there for later use.<p>

"Zareth!" Malek stated loudly as he lifted his arm and slapped him heartily in the back. "What is this attire you're wearing? Is this Earth clothing? You look quite sharp I must say!"  
>Sarah smiled as she saw that he remained perfectly impassive, but through their bond she could tell that he felt proud of his brother's proclamation. It was another outfit Sarah had picked out for him. Dark grey slacks that embellished his long well-toned legs and a cream colored buttoned down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.<p>

Malek in turn had his usual leathers on, Sarah didn't know what his obsession with leather was but he always resembled a member of a motorcycle gang while T'Mari had a pink turtle neck on with a lavender skirt that had pink flowers printed on the fabric, quite the opposite of Malek's 'bad boy' image.

Sarah opened the bottle of wine and they sat around catching up with what they were currently working on before Sarah called them all to dinner.

She had made a mixed green salad with walnuts, goat cheese, currants, and a vinaigrette dressing she made from scratch.

Then she had made fricassee of vegetables which she layered on a bed of polenta.

"Oh my goodness Sarah!" Malek stated in between bites. "It's no wonder my brother worships you so. On top of everything wonderful that you already are; you're also one talented cook!"

"Yes." T'Mari chimed in. "This is indeed quite delicious."

Sarah blushed as she looked over at Zareth who lifted a suggestive brow. "Thank you." She said through a grin. "I'm glad you all enjoy it."

"So, T'Mari and I have decided where we're going to take you both after dinner."

"Oh? And where are you taking us?" Zareth inquired.

"Nope, nope, can't tell you yet, you'll just have to wait until you get there."

Sarah could see the look on his face and knew what it meant so she reached towards Zareth's hand and patted it gently. "Come on Zareth, let's try to keep an open mind about this, it can't possibly be that bad."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"A Salsa Dancing Club?" Sarah exclaimed as she walked in. They were suddenly bombarded with the sound of quick paced music, and colors shooting everywhere. There were people laughing and they seemed to be having a good time over at the bar area. Currently there were only about two couples out on the dance floor. Sarah watched as if totally hypnotized at the way they moved their feet in time with the beat of the music. The man was twirling the female now, her colorful skirt moving quickly after her. Truth be told; she had always secretly wanted to learn how to dance like that but there had never been an opportunity.

She was snapped out of her haze when she heard commander Denning yelling over at Malek.

"Malek you crazy son of Romulan, get over here!"

Sarah turned around and was shocked to find that Denning was not alone. Standing next to him with his arm draped around her shoulders was a beautiful brunette lady. She seemed a few years older than Sarah, and actually better suited for Denning.

"Sarah! Zareth! He said as they walked over to them. "I want you all to meet Sheila!" He said with a glimmer in his grey eyes.

"Sheila, these are cadets that attend the academy. Zareth,and his wife Sarah, they just recently got married."

Sheila's eyes lit up. "Wow! Congratulations! Very nice to meet you!"

Zareth gave a polite nod while Sarah offered a wide smile. Sarah searched through their bond and realized that Zareth wasn't comfortable being in the club, and looking at his awkward stance and the way he looked around told her this was true.

They sat at a table top with bar stools that was right between the bar and the dance floor.

"You ok?" She had to practically yell over the music, but he in turned nodded. "Yes."

"What's your poison Sarah? I'm going over to the bar." Malek yelled over the music.

"Oh uh.. Strongbow Cider for me please." He pointed towards Zareth who replied: "Just a water please." Malek rolled his eyes but quickly turned and headed towards the bar.  
>Malek brought back their drinks and almost immediately he and T'Mari were on the dance floor. Sarah couldn't help but actually laugh out loud when she saw Malek dancing. The way his hips moved in time with the beat, how he twirled T'Mari all the while keeping a serious expression on her face was beyond amusing.<p>

"Two Vulcans salsa dancing, I can't even believe it!" Sarah exclaimed, all the while Zareth observed them as if he weren't the least bit amused.  
>Denning was watching as well, snapping his fingers and moving in his chair. He looked over at Sheila and gave her a smile before lowering his head to say something in her ear. The loud music didn't allow for Sarah to hear but they instantly got up and started dancing as well.<p>

Denning did not dance as well as Malek, and Sheila looked as if she were just moving side to side but they all seemed to be having a good time.

Sarah looked over at Zareth who apparently already knew what she was going to ask because he quickly said: "Absolutely not Sarah."  
>She narrowed her eyes at him and slightly turned away to continue to watch the others dancing.<p>

After two songs, Denning and Sheila came back to the table. It was apparent that Malek and T'Mari were in this for the long haul because they were still going at it.

"Sarah, Zareth! Why aren't you two dancing?"

Zareth folded his arms in front of him and actually looked as if he were sulking. "I do not dance!"

Denning raised a brow while he looked over at Sarah.

"Come on Sarah, I'll dance with you if you want to." Sarah smirked and proceeded to get off her stool, ignoring the fact that Zareth had instantly unfolded his arms and was giving her a severe look of warning.

Denning came around to grab Sarah's hand but before he could, Zareth had appeared and bumped Denning to the side.  
>"I have changed my mind." Zareth said loud enough for him to hear. Denning frowned at first but then smiled as he watched them walk on the dance floor. Sarah said nothing, and did her best to suppress a smirk. "I thought you said you didn't dance."<br>He sighed loudly as he placed one hand around her waist and intertwined his fingers with hers in the other. He leaned so close to her that she thought he was going to kiss her but then he replied: "Nobody but I dances with my mate." And he immediately began to move in time with the music while Sarah tried to do the same, how he picked it up so quickly was beyond her.

"Twirl me" She said at one point during the dance, which he responded by raising a brow.

"Fine, I'll twirl myself!"

She let go of him and started to do exactly that when another woman who had chosen that precise moment to twirl as well bumped hard into Sarah's mid-section. The impact was instantaneous and she immediately fell on the floor having the wind completely knocked out of her.

Zareth's eyes grew wide with concern and he was quickly at her side, lifting her up, and carrying her back towards their seats. Everyone in their party had seen what had happened and they quickly followed to see what was wrong.  
>She had been hit hard, but she didn't think it was enough to cause the surge of pain she was currently feeling. It hurt so much that she was visually trembling, the waves of pain traveling all over, but centralizing in her mid-section.<p>

"Zareth!" She cried as she cradled her mid-section. It hurt to even breathe.

"We're getting you to a doctor, right now!" He said as he lifted her once again.

"Malek!" He began.

"I'm on it!" He said as he ran out of the club with the keys in his hands. Zareth carried Sarah out of the club, T'Mari following after while Denning stayed behind and took care of their bill. He also figured it wouldn't be right if he interfered despite his concern for what had happened, he'd catch up with them later.

The ride seemed to take forever for Sarah, but soon they were at the doctors and Sarah was being attended. Zareth had been allowed to go in with her but Malek and T'Mari were waiting outside.  
>At one point Zareth had been asked to step outside momentarily as they were going to run some tests on her. It was the first time that Zareth had had so much trouble keeping his emotions in check. If anything happened to her he did not know what he would do.<br>She had become his world, his everything. Why did it take an occurrence of this nature for him to become fully aware of just how much this beautiful human meant to him?

Finally, the doctor stepped out and called him aside.

"Mr. Zareth?"

He nodded.

"Sarah Williams is your wife correct?"

He nodded impatiently. "Yes doctor, please tell me what is wrong with her."

The doctor sighed and gave him a look of pity. "It's never easy to break this kind of news to a young couple. Mr. Zareth; your wife has just suffered a miscarriage."

***sigh* I know…**

**The idea for the salsa dance came from ByaSouthernLady who has been dying to have Malek dance Salsa :-)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Ok, I did a lot of research for the past few chapters regarding the female reproductive system. I think Zareth would say that it is quite 'fascinating' we are so perfectly built! Anyway… I gathered this info from a bunch of sites, ranging from:  
>Triaxiansilk (talks about Vulcanhuman hybrid pregnancies) MDtalk medicine, and Wikipedia which talked about the Uterus and Endometrium lining. I'm hoping all this info is accurate.**

**The statement in this chapter about women producing alkaline during pregnancy is apparently true and it's one of the ways doctor's know you're pregnant when they take blood samples.**

**Too much of it unfortunately will kill the baby and also risks endangering the female's liver and other vital organs… Ok, enough of the science lecture, here it is:**

* * *

><p>For several seconds, Zareth could not speak.<p>

As illogical as it was, his mind was still trying to grasp the idea that his Sarah had been carrying a child, his child, only to have lost it; the thought was almost too much to bear.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to snap out of his haze. He looked up at the doctor, trying to keep his expression completely neutral but a slight quivering of his lower lip gave away that he was unsettled by the news.  
>"What was the cause of her miscarrying? Was it the fall that she suffered tonight?" He said in a voice that sounded unlike his own.<p>

The doctor pulled out his PADD and showed it to him. "This is your wife's uterine lining."  
>Zareth could see a drawn diagram of the female human reproductive organ, showing her uterus, fallopian tubes, and her ovaries.<br>"Now, when a human female is pregnant, the body produces alkaline within this lining, this is perfectly normal. However, in your wife's case, because you are..." He suddenly looked up at him. "I'm sorry sir; I assume you are Vulcan yes?"  
>Zareth nodded but didn't answer, he currently couldn't trust himself to speak yet since he had been trying to envision Sarah's unborn fetus growing within her given the picture he was currently being showed so the doctor continued.<p>

"I am of the opinion that because Vulcan blood is more copper based then that of humans, as the hybrid baby grew within her, her body began to form unhealthy levels of Alkaline. It could be due to the reaction of alien blood growing within her own body, or exceedingly high alkaline levels during pregnancy could be a hereditary trait as well. I asked her if she knew if her mother had such a condition but she did not reply." The doctor sighed as he looked up at him, pity written all over his face.  
>"The truth is that she had a 95% chance of miscarrying no matter how well she had taken care of herself. She said she had been dancing so I believe that exerting herself followed by the stress of having fallen was the straw the broke the camel's back. Although, whether she had gone dancing or not, I believe it would've happened eventually anyway. Exercise was not the culprit here, it is in fact encouraged that women exercise during pregnancy but in her case, she should wait until the first 8 weeks have passed before she does anything more vigorous than walking."<p>

Zareth closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again, taking a deep breath in the process.

"But listen." The doctor began, trying to put him at ease. "This doesn't mean you cannot have children. I believe that she can carry a baby to term; she is a very healthy young woman. You two will just have to plan accordingly. She will have to come in on a bi-weekly basis and be given treatment that will stabilize her alkaline levels, and we can go over necessary precautions she will have to take during her pregnancy. She will have to at all costs avoid activities that cause her stress, and she will have to consume much more protein than she currently intake's, but all of this we can discuss when both of you are ready to try."

"_To try.."_Zareth thought, they hadn't been trying though which caused him to ask the following question. "Sarah was taking contraceptives, how is it that she became pregnant?"

"Yes, most contraceptives work 99.9% of the time if taken accordingly, but there are many factors to consider. She was taking a contraceptive designed for human sperm; Vulcan sperm is much more resilient than that of humans. Another thing to consider is...  
>"He was suddenly brought up short, and Zareth thought it curious that the older man's cheeks took on a pinkish hue. "Mr. Zareth, how often would you say that you and your wife are.. intimate?"<p>

Zareth quickly mentally calculated it in his mind before he responded: "2.6 times"

"This is weekly, yes?"  
>The doctor asked which caused Zareth to raise a brow.<p>

"No, that estimate is daily. Weekly would be around 17.56, the number slightly increases since we spend more time together during weekends. This however is just a rough estimate."

Zareth wondered why the doctor was currently giving him such an odd look right now; didn't humans practice intimacy on a frequent basis? He figured they would, being that they were so emotional. He thought the doctor's current reaction quite illogical.

"Mr. Zareth.." The doctor began. "You realize that this greatly increases the chances of pregnancy. I strongly suggest you yourself consider a male contraceptive regiment as well, at least until you're both ready."

Zareth thought about it for a moment before he replied. "I need to discuss this further with my wife, when can I see her?"

"You can see her now; I just felt it better to discuss these details with you in private."

Zareth nodded. "I thank you for all your information doctor."

Zareth carefully walked into the room, immediately seeing her laying down wearing a light blue gown and looking exhausted with dark shadows under her eyes, and tear stains on her cheeks.  
>She looked up and quickly extended her arms out to him, resembling a small child who wanted to be picked up. Her face contorted in a way that he understood meant that she was going to commence crying. He quickly extended his arms in turn. He normally would not do such things in a public setting but he knew and could feel through their bond how devastated all of this was to her.<p>

She clung to him tightly and sobbed against his chest. She was pulling him closer and he ended up crawling next to her on the small bed. They did not speak a word during the entirety of that time. They simply held each other while he soothed her through their bond, occasionally he would gently rake the strands of her hair with his fingers until her sobs subsided and he realized that she had fallen asleep.

After several minutes, he kissed her forehead softly before carefully pulling away from her grasp, deciding she needed to rest, and also to make sure that Malek and T'Mari knew of the situation.

She didn't stir once after he had completely pulled away, and he carefully walked out of the room and into the waiting area where Malek was currently standing with his arms folded in front of him in an impatient manner, while T'Mari sat calmly with her hands folded on her lap. Even commander Denning had arrived and was sitting next to her but looking at the contents of the snack machine that was situated in the room.

Once Zareth walked in, everyone abruptly approached him.  
>"Well?" Malek asked impatiently. "What happened to Sarah?"<p>

Zareth sighed. "I think it best it we sit down, there is much to explain."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh Zareth." Denning began. "I'm more sorry than you could ever know."

He nodded. "I appreciate your sentiments."

"But you can have children! The doctor said you just have to follow a regiment so the situation is not so dire!" Malek said hopefully.

"Malek!" Denning shot at him. "She just lost a baby, that's traumatizing for a woman. She has to heal from this emotionally before she can even think about trying."

Zareth nodded. "There is also the very obvious fact that we still have less than two years before we graduate as cadets; this regiment she would have to undergo is time consuming and she will have to take more precautions than the average human. It is probable that if she were to become pregnant again, she would have to set aside her studies."

"I think you might be over calculating things there Zareth." Denning said. "She could take her courses from home during her pregnancy, and only come in to campus for major exams. I'll personally see to it that she graduates on time if you decide to go through trying for a baby."

"But what about after the baby is born?" Zareth countered him. "Who will take care of our child?"

"Have our mother come and live with you guys." Malek said with a smirk on his face, but the smirk died when Zareth gave him a severe glare.

"There is much to think about in this matter, it is something Sarah and I will have to discuss." Zareth said, letting it be known that the discussion about their getting pregnant was closed.

"Can we see her?" Malek asked.

"She was sleeping when I left the room."

"Oh, let her get rest then, do you need for us to stay?"

Zareth shook his head. "Thank you all for being here during a time of need." I will notify you when Sarah is released.

"You do that." Denning said.

"I'll come pick you both up and drive you to the house when they do release her, so call me on my comm." Malek said.

T'Mari walked up to Zareth and in a stoic fashion said: "If Sarah requires what humans refer to as: 'Girl Talk' Have her know that I am at her service."  
>Zareth nodded. "I thank you T'Mari, she might very well need it once she has physically healed."<p>

She nodded and quickly took her place beside Malek.

Zareth watched as they left and sighed loudly before he turned back around and entered Sarah's room. He stood there watching her and contemplated her for a moment before he finally decided, it was logical to be of aid to one's mate during times of need. So he took off his shoes quietly and carefully crept back into the small bed. Sarah stirred but did not wake; she placed her arm around him, and pulled her closer to her. He in turn looked up at her sleeping face; it was the last thing he saw before he too fell asleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**It wasn't easy to write these last couple of chapters. I think many of you will agree with me that sometimes women come to an age where no matter what is going on in your life you want a child or at least envision what it would be like to have a child; it's natural.  
>To find out however that for some reason or circumstance you cannot, it seems to leave everything else off balance and you then have to work harder to hold on to the things that do steady your life.<br>Luckily for Sarah and Zareth their situation is not dire, and they both love and respect each other. This chapter tries to focus on that.**

* * *

><p>Sarah was released the following day, Malek having come to pick them up and drop them off at their house just as he promised. Denning had left them a message saying that Sarah was excused from her classes for the remainder of the week but she could still do her work from home if she felt able to. It did not settle well for Zareth to see Sarah so indifferent to everything except for when he had informed her that he was staying home with her.<p>

"No Zareth! You need to go to your classes." She argued.

"You require my attention at this time, you are more important. I have made my decision on this matter." He had countered to which she eventually gave in.

She spent most of the first day in bed and the next morning she had only picked through her breakfast before she went back to bed. At noon time Zareth came upstairs with a bowl of something she had never seen before.  
>"This is plomeek soup; it will make you feel better." He said, knowing what she had been wondering.<p>

"I thank you Zareth." She said eyeing the broth in an uninterested manner. "But I am not hungry."

"You must eat." He said in a severe tone that booked no room for argument. She gave him an annoyed look and when he saw that she was still not moving to eat the contents of his labor, he picked up the bowl and the spoon and proceeded to sit next to her.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"If you insist on acting like a child, I shall treat you as such. Now, open your mouth." He said as he dipped the spoon in the green broth and then brought it up to her.

"Zareth! I am not a child!"

"I said open." He insisted.

"No, I.." and before she could say another word, he had quickly placed the spoon in her mouth.  
>She sat there savoring the contents as the warm liquid slowly went down her throat, it was actually pretty tasty and she knew that this must've taken a lot of effort on his part since he couldn't cook to save his life but an overwhelming sadness came over her as she looked at him.<p>

He could've been doing this same activity with their child if they had not lost it. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks which caused Zareth to look at her in alarm. He wasn't sure what to do, he had never been in such a situation before and everything that was occurring was quite overwhelming.

He put down the soup and cradled her in his arms where she began to cry in earnest against him.

"We can try." He felt himself say and was most shocked to find himself saying so. "If you desire a child this much at this time, we can try."

She forced herself to stop crying and wiped her tears.  
>"I... I know.. I know that I'm being illogical."<p>

"You are not." He countered her. "We have been through a life altering experience."

"It's just that.. I am emotionally torn." She continued. "I know that we shouldn't think about children right now. It's silly, we only have less than two years before we can. I should be able to wait and yet.." Her lip quivered as she looked out the window. "I can't help but be completely devastated that we did lose one. We will never know if it would've been a boy or a girl..."  
>She gave a small watery smile as she caressed his ear, she loved his ears. "Whether it would've had these magnificent ears of yours, or your silky hair." She said as she now gently stroked his bangs. She took a shuddering breath. "We will never know because it's dead."<p>

"My Sarah.." He said as he held her close again. "It will not do to think of these things. We must be satisfied in the knowledge that we can and will have children. Is it not better than having found out that we couldn't at all? And even then we could find other alternatives. We will always have alternatives and will decide upon them when the appropriate time comes."

Her felt her nod and her anxiety lessen through their bond. He carefully lifted her chin so that she looked directly in his eyes. "Right now we must focus on getting your strength back, that is of greatest importance at this time, and you not eating will not help this process."

"I will eat." She said as she looked up at him. "But only if you eat with me."  
>He gave her a small smile as he got up from their bed. "I will return shortly with a bowl of my own in that case."<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Have you talked to your brother lately?" Denning asked as he sat across from Malek, they were eating lunch at a restaurant near campus.

"Not since I dropped them off. I called earlier today but nobody answered."

"This must be really hard on them." Denning said thoughtfully. Malek sighed loudly as he leaned back in his chair. "I don't think I have helped matters much in the past with this regard."

Denning narrowed his eyes at him. "How could you have anything to do with it?"

"I've been pushing them to make me an Uncle, joking of course but at the same time not. I built them a baby nursery for goodness sake!"

Denning choked on his soda. "You built them a nursery?"

"Well yeah, haven't you seen the house?"

"Just the first floor when I got them their house warming gift." Denning said. "It's not good for them to be alone so much during this time, I think you should call and ask if we can stop by, maybe bring some food and games or cards to take their mind off of things."

Malek thought about it for a moment. "That's a good idea. I'll call him this afternoon, and let you know."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Sarah?" Zareth said as he sat next to her. They were downstairs in the dining room. Sarah had been feeling better and decided to try and catch up with some of her work while Zareth was doing the same, they were both on their computers, Sarah typing away noisily.

"Hmm?" She replied still looking at her screen.

"I"ve just received a message from Malek. He, T'Mari, and Denning want to bring food this evening and spend time with us. Is this amendable to you?"

Sarah thought about it for a moment. "I don't know if I can handle company yet..."

"It might do you good." Zareth stated. "To help focus your thoughts in other matters."

"Well, when you put it like that." Sarah said... "I guess, just please make sure they don't bring up anything to do with babies, I can't handle it right now."

"I would hope they'd be able to realize that this is a sensitive topic of discussion for us but I shall forewarn them." Zareth said in reply.

They arrived later that evening carrying arm loads of groceries, take out dinner from Meiko's and what appeared to be board games.

"This is very kind of you all." Sarah said as she tried to put the groceries away. "No, no, no," Malek said as he took the groceries away from her. "You sit down, we'll handle it."  
>"But.." She started.<p>

"We insist." Denning said as he helped out as well.

She raised her brow at Zareth who did the same in turn before she sat down next to him. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until they started opening the take out containers and the smell of fried spring rolls and steamed dumplings started to rise in the air. They started to place them on the table, as well as other containers of vegetable tempura, rice, udon noodles, fried tofu with ginger and sesame sauce, and then larger tube like containers of what Sarah immediately recognized was Ramen soup.  
>"My goodness!" She exclaimed. "Did you guys close the place?"<p>

"Just about, and you haven't seen dessert yet, strawberry cheesecake, but we didn't get that from Meiko's, there is a bakery just down the street from there that makes good desserts; Sheila introduced me to it." Denning said as he opened a small container that she recognized was some kind of meat product since he placed all of the fried red pieces on his plate.

"Why didn't she join us tonight? Her presence would've been welcome." Zareth said as he scooped some rice on to his plate before passing it over to Sarah.

"She's in Canada on a business trip, but she sends her regards."

"When we're done eating, we're going to play Monopoly." Malek announced as he picked up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks. "And I'm warning you all as of now, T'Mari is ruthless at this game."

She wiped her mouth before she said with a small smile. "He is exaggerating of course."

"Is that why Malek went bankrupt after the first twenty minutes?" Denning said laughing. "Malek, maybe you're just bad at managing money."

"I most certainly am not! I manage my credits in reality very well!"

"You know how to play monopoly?" Sarah asked Malek as if in shock.

"Monopoly: Exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices." Zareth said.

"Hey, tell Webster over there that we're talking about the board game." Malek replied.

Sarah laughed, "I thought I was the only one who called him Webster."

"You should be proud Sarah, for sitting next to you is a walking dictionary." Malek replied.

"Just because I have more skill than you Malek does not entitle you to name calling." Zareth replied smoothly, which made Sarah in turn laugh even more, especially seeing the face Malek made at him. Zareth watched, listening to the sound of her laughter, after what they had been through it brought him much pleasure.

"Do you see what I put up with T'Mari?" He said as he turned to her.

She gave an upturn of her lips as she replied. "You started it Malek, he finished it."

"OOooooo, someone got called out!" Denning chimed in.

"Ok, Ok, We'll just see wont we? I challenge all of you to monopoly, we'll just see who is the victor in the end!" Malek finished with a smirk.

OoOoOoOoOoooOoO

"And... T'Mari wins. Zareth came in at a close second though." Denning declared as he finished counting the money. Malek sat with his arms folded in front of him as he sulked.

"It is alright dearest." T'Mari said consolingly as she patted his leg. "I will be the one managing the credits when we are bonded."

Sarah and Denning laughed, while Zareth raised a brow "That sounds like quite a wise choice"

"I bought out board walk though! Everyone knows that in the game of monopoly, if you own board walk, you're the master of the entire game!"

"And that is where your logic escapes you Malek." T'Mari said in an amused manner.

"You were in jail for almost half of the game Malek." Denning said through his laughter. "And all you managed to buy in the end was boardwalk and "Reading Railroad"

"That's because Sarah cheated! She bought New York avenue after she said she wasn't going to!"

"I did not cheat, I simply changed my mind" She said with a smirk.

"All right, all right, let's clean up and ship out; I need to get up early in the morning." Denning said as he got up from the chair.

"Sarah, Zareth, if any of you need anything at all, you call me on my comm ok?" Denning said firmly.  
>Zareth nodded. "We thank you, it is greatly appreciated."<br>Malek came over to where Zareth was. "I'm coming by to check up on you two tomorrow."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but…" Zareth began.

"Nope, I'm going to stop by no matter what you say Zareth."

"And, if I may." T'Mari said as she stood next to Malek. "I would like to bring Narij with me; She is excellent with cutting and styling of hair. She will be glad to offer her services." She said as she looked at Sarah.

"Oh! That would be great! I actually need to get my hair trimmed!"

"That leaves us to partake in some brotherly bonding hey Zareth!" He said as she slapped him hard on the back.

Zareth sighed and gave him a bored look. "I look forward to it Malek."


	32. Chapter 32

**This is a short, fun little chapter to make up for all the harshness Sarah and Zareth have been dealing with lately; hope you enjoy, and much thanks for all your reviews!**

* * *

><p>True to his word, Malek arrived the following evening with T'Mari at his side. She was wearing a hot pink shirt and black pants that were extremely unvulcan-like.<br>There was a young, petite woman behind them. He found the scenario extremely amusing as Malek was carrying two oversized hot pink bags and the women were empty handed. T'Mari introduced Narij and Zareth nodded courteously.  
>Zareth could smell distinctly that one of the bags held food, and one of the items must've contained chocolate; he felt his mouth water.<p>

Sarah came to greet them; she seemed much happier and for this Zareth was pleased.  
>"I would like to introduce you to Narij" T'Mari said to Sarah. The small girl gave a pearly white smile and said in a distinctly high pitched voice that caused Zareth's brow to rise: "Hello Sarah, it is very nice to meet you! Oh my gosh girl!" She said as walked over to her, immediately running her fingers through her hair without her permission, yet Sarah said nothing, it must be a human female thing Zareth concluded.<p>

"You have the most beautiful hair! Oh and your skin!" She looked over at T'Mari, "Why did you have me bring skin paks for? She doesn't need it."

"Neither do you and you still use it." She replied.

"Yeah, but it leaves my skin smooth as..." She looked around and cleared her throat, "Nevermind, so where are we setting camp?"

Zareth raised his brow again, what was it with female's and this camping business anyway?

"Oh, upstairs, please follow me and I'll show you." Sarah said as she led the way.

"Malek." T'Mari turned towards him. "Yeah, yeah.. I know." He said as he picked up the bags and followed them as well.  
>Zareth sighed; it seemed that the food items (including the chocolate) was intended for the women's consumption only.<p>

Malek was back momentarily and Zareth could already hear the sounds of them conversing and unzipping items and settings things up as his stare was fixed on the second level. They had apparently chosen to do this in the room Sarah had claimed as her office.

Malek raised a brow at him, "Just you wait, in a little while you and I will have to leave."

"Sarah is not known for being loud" Except for certain times when they were alone but he wasn't about to voice that to Malek.

"Fine, don't listen to me." He said as he made himself comfortable on one of the dining room chairs. He pulled out a small silver box and immediately Zareth knew what it was.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked as he took a seat next to him.

"Yup, blame T'Mari, she's got me hooked."

"I have not played Kal-Toh in a very long time; I shall look forward to it." He said eagerly.

It wasn't even five minutes into the game that music started to drift downstairs, followed by hearing the sounds of laughter every so often and exclamations such as:  
>"Shut up!", "No way, that is so cute!" and "Look at this model they used, she looks like she's dying!"<p>

What amused Zareth the most was that sometimes it came from Sarah and every now and then he would hear T'Mari add something as well.

"I told you." Malek said without looking up from the game. "You wait, it'll get worse."

Ten minutes later the doorbell rang and Narij came running down the stairs causing Zareth and Malek to look up from their game. She opened the door and there stood a young man wearing a red and blue uniform holding a large square box.  
>"Extra large veggie pizza?"<p>

"Yes please!" Narij said as she handed him a card. He pulled out a small grey device and scanned it before handing it back to her along with the pizza.

"Thank you, have a nice day." The young man said before he turned away. Narij closed the door and quickly ran up the stairs with the large box, exactly seven seconds later there were loud squeals of delight followed by muffled speech, and the music also seemed to have increased in volume making it difficult to concentrate on the game now.

"I thought the rooms would be.. sound proof." Zareth commented.  
>He looked up and saw that Malek looked uncomfortable at that statement.<p>

"I uh.. I purposely didn't because I assumed that when you and Sarah...had you know.."

Zareth nodded. "I understand what you mean."

"Ok, well I thought it would be efficient if both of you could hear what is going on at all times for safety reasons, the only room that is sound proof is the master bedroom. Don't say that I don't think of you brother." He finished with a smirk.

Their conversation was interrupted yet again however when they heard:  
>" This guy in my communications class; oh my gosh! He is sooo cute! But what's with his antenna always twitching around when I'm near him?" They could hear Narij ask.<p>

"He is Andorian, and the male's antenna twitches when he becomes excited or sexually aroused, that would logically explain his behavior towards you." T'Mari answered to which Zareth raised a shocked brow, especially when both Sarah and Narij began to giggle uncontrollably and say other things like: "I wonder what else twitches?"

"We need to get out of here." Malek said as he stood from the table.

"I would concur." Zareth said as he got up as well, and followed Malek out the door.

Despite knowing that Sarah needed the distraction and camaraderie, he could not deny that the sound of silence once they walked towards Malek's car was extremely welcome.


	33. Chapter 33

**Some brotherly bonding takes place in this chapter, and Zareth seems to have some trouble following doctors' orders :-)**

Zareth and Malek ended up driving around town until they wound up at a strip mall, Malek wanted to find a gift for T'Mari preferably in her favorite color; hot pink… it wasn't particularly easy to find.

"When are the two of you to bond?" Zareth asked at one point, and when he saw that Malek didn't answer, Zareth gave a small upturn of the lips.

"I will ask the question in another manner; how long ago did you bond?" Zareth asked.

"The same day that I confronted her; it was the day that you and Sarah returned from Jardin II."

"So that is why you never came to pick us up from the station." Zareth said in realization.

"It just.. happened Zareth.. Her mind, her entire being; there is indeed no one in the galaxy like her."

"I share your sentiments when I think of my Sarah. I only regret that I have no control over what occurred recently, but at least together we have been able to overcome the loss. Her grief was.." He stopped for a moment to reflect on how often he had to calm her through their bond and lifted a brow in the process.

"It was overwhelming; I did not know that she could come to desire a child in so short a time. Particularly since she herself always stated that expanding our family would come after graduation. This was something we both had logically agreed upon."

Malek gave a small smile. "She is human Zareth. A human who is very much in love with you and no amount of logic will dissuade her from the grief of not only knowing that you both produced a child and lost it, but now she knows what she needs to do in order for you to successfully carry your future child to term. It will be hard for her to now only focus on her studies. It will be hard for her to watch others who are forming families and yet she cannot yet no matter how much she tries to act as if everything is alright."

"But it's only two more years." Zareth interrupted to which Malek shook his head. "It doesn't matter, it will still pain her, plus you have to consider that after you graduate, what's to say that your superiors won't assign you aboard a ship for an extended amount of time? Sure you can take her along but, I do not believe that is the best way to start a family."

For once, Malek was making perfect sense and it did not sit with Zareth at how much truth was behind everything he was being told.  
>"Much planning would have to be made." Zareth finally commented.<p>

Malek raised a brow. "Indeed although..." They stopped walking and Malek looked Zareth directly in the eyes. "You are a brilliant engineer, and would have many options; is staying at the academy and taking on an assignment really what you want to do?"

This brought up Zareth short. "It is the reason why I signed up; I sought to carry this through."

"No, you signed up because life on Vulcan had turned into hell for you, and you dove into what you're good at here on Earth, but all of that changed after you met Sarah. It is not logical for you to think that your goals would remain the same; you must consider your mates needs now first and foremost."

Zareth raised his brow in amusement. "I have never heard you speak in such a way; I believe that T'Mari is influencing you in a far more positive manner than I initially expected; this is very commendable."

Malek gave a boyish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, she's pretty amazing… Which reminds me to tell you. I…. well.. We've decided that we are going to have a formal bonding ceremony after our training has concluded."

Both of Zareth's brows shot up to his hairline. "Indeed?"

"Yes, here on Earth at the Vulcan embassy. Our parents have been notified and are making arrangements to be present."

"How did they take the news?" Zareth asked with curiosity.

"You know how they are, nothing fazes them, but I dare say that mother is extremely pleased with the news. She even went as far as asking to speak to T'Mari in private which they did for over an hour."

"What about her family?"

Malek changed his demeanor when Zareth asked that question and after sighing loudly said: "They're mad as hell, wont even speak to her although she says that their relationship has never been very solid."

"That is unfortunate." Zareth said.

"I know, which is why I want to get her something, let's see what they have in this store." He said as he pointed to a shop that had all kinds of crazy neon colored items. It was full of human teenagers pointing and laughing at all the odds and ends on display, yet Malek looked the very picture of the human saying: 'A kid in the candy store' With a deep sigh, Zareth followed Malek into the store.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Girl; Zareth is going to flip when he see's you." Narij said as she admired her work. She had cut the ends and styled Sarah's hair so that it was curled at the ends. Plus she had given her hair a deep moisturizing treatment so it was shiny and smooth like silk, but Narij didn't stop there. She had also given Sarah a facial so that her skin was super smooth, did her nails, and topped it off by doing her makeup. Smokey eye shadow to bring out the emerald in her eyes and a light pink lipstick.

T'Mari had for once relented and allowed Narij to put makeup on her, Sarah thought she looked like a goddess.

"You all have someone to impress.. I wish I did." Narij finished sadly.

"Perhaps the Andorian you were speaking of earlier will declare his intentions towards you." T'Mari said as she fixed the curls on the front part of her face.

"I don't know, I've heard that they don't really like humans." Narij complained.  
>"Then he chose a bad planet to live on!" Sarah joked.<p>

"It is rumored that they're not very keen with Vulcans either, however; you must consider that there must be a reason why he has joined Star Fleet, and you have stated that he seeks your company." T'Mari added.

"Yes, but it's only to discuss work related issues from class; I don't know."

As if having come up with a plan, Sarah grinned. "Mention an outing with a male friend and see what he does. For example, the next time you're talking, cut the conversation short and say something like: 'I have to go, Jason is expecting me."

"Who is Jason?" Narij asked, her dark eyes growing wide. "I don't know." Sarah shrugged, "and neither do you, but he doesn't know that." She finished with a wink.

"Was that the same planning you implemented when you and Zareth were courting?" T'Mari asked.

"Oh no, I.. " She laughed a bit. "I actually went out of my way to stay away from him in the beginning, yet he was just always there and finally one day I realized what a wonderful person he was, and that I needed him in my life."

_Ah, he was smitten by her_ T'Mari thought to herself as she gave Sarah a small smile. "The two of you make a fine match; I believe that…"  
>Suddenly they could hear the door open and the sound of Malek's loud voice coming from downstairs.<p>

"Can you believe these women Zareth? They're still at it!"

Sarah laughed as she got up. "Come on, I think it's time to re-unite with the men."

The sound of Sarah's office door opening immediately got his attention, but he almost didn't recognize the beauty that emerged from the room that was intently looking at him.  
>He felt his mouth go dry and his breath hitch as she descended the stairs. He didn't think it was possible for a woman to possess so much beauty, but most of all was basking in the knowledge that she was completely and totally his. She winked at him and simultaneously sent him a playful image through their bond, only causing him to swallow hard and grip the small shopping bag he held in his hand tightly.<p>

Malek was in a trance of his own as T'Mari made her way down the stairs, both looked completely dumbfounded and it took all of Sarah's control to not laugh out loud.

"We've gotta go." Malek said as soon as he was able to look away from T'Mari. He took her by the hand and was hastily making his way to the front door before she called to him: "Malek, you are forgetting the bags that we came with."

"Oh..yeah." He said as he quickly went up the stairs, and then hastily came down the stairs and ran out the door with the two giant hot pink bags.

"Thank you so much for everything Narij, T'Mari; I hope that we shall repeat this in the future." Sarah said gratefully.

T'Mari nodded. "We partake in this activity often; I shall notify you of the next session."  
>Narij in turn smiled. "Thanks for your advice Sarah, I'll let you know what happens! Oh and thank you Mr. Zareth for allowing us into your fine home." She gave a little wave and headed out, Malek almost running into her.<p>

He gave a quick look at Sarah and then smirked at Zareth before he took T'Mari by the hand again. "Gotta go kids, see you later!"

As soon as they left, Sarah closed the door and smiled at Zareth who was looking at her with such intensity that it made her blush.  
>"Zareth, don't look at me like that." She said laughing.<br>He slowly approached her and wrapped his arms around her, his hands still holding the small bag. "Do not deny me such pleasure Sarah for you are such a sight to behold."  
>He cradled her soft face in his hands, allowing his fingers to trace the softer than usual skin, he lifted a brow and Sarah laughed: "I had a facial done, do you like it?" She asked but she already knew the answer.<br>He nodded. "Very much, I also like this." He then leaned forward and captured her lips with his. It was meant to be a simple kiss but as it always seemed to happen, things became heated quickly and before either of them knew what was happening, he was guiding her to a nearby chair, sitting her on his lap and unbuttoning her dress while still kissing her. He so loved the way that her tongue melded in harmony with his. He had come to enjoy it very much. She could feel his desire for her skyrocket but through their bond but he felt her hesitate. As if to confirm this, she suddenly pulled away from him slightly and looked deep into his eyes, she rubbed his bare shoulders before she said: "We can't, remember what the doctor said?"

He exhaled loudly and pressed his forehead against hers as if trying to center himself. Of course, they had to wait; Sarah's body was still recuperating.  
>"No intercourse for a week." He said in such a severe tone that Sarah thought he was actually angry. He rubbed his lips against her cheek and slowly lowered them towards her neck where he began nibbling the skin and then kissing her again.<br>"Zareth?" She asked wondering why he hadn't simply stopped, not that she wanted him to but it was unlike Zareth to go against a direct order, and this was an activity that Zareth always did as a prelude to them being intimate.

He continued to descend when he finally removed his lips from her skin momentary to say, "We can do other things." And his lips were back on her.  
>Her eyes grew wide in turn and she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh Zareth, you're so bad! Trying to find a loophole in a direct order?"<br>She moaned as he nipped at a particular sensitive area. "It is not logical to be physically parted from one's mate if it can be done without causing you physical harm." The severity in his voice and the look in his eyes led her to believe that he had made up his mind on the subject and seeing as how she wanted him just as much, she did not protest except to say: "Fine, but not on this uncomfortable chair."

Zareth immediately lifted her into his arms, causing her to be amazed yet again at how incredibly strong he was. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and swiftly carried her up the stairs before he closed the door to their bedroom with his foot.


	34. Chapter 34

It wasn't long before Sarah and Zareth returned to their classes. It was actually a welcome relief for Sarah since her mind was occupied with other things. A few weeks went by in which life had basically returned back to a form of normalcy but it would never be as it was before.  
>Zareth could feel that something wanting lingered within Sarah. He would catch her at times looking into the nursery when she thought he wasn't looking, yet she never stepped into the room.<br>It caused him much uneasiness for he did not know what to do in order to lessen Sarah's pain.

One evening Zareth was in engineering when his superior, commander Leonard called him into his office.  
>"Zareth, please have a seat."<p>

He did as was told and looked at his superior with his usual neutral expression.

The older man across of him smiled, his warm blue eyes twinkling. "How is your wife cadet?"

"She had recuperated in an efficient manner and has resumed her normal duties. She is well."  
>The older man nodded. "That is very good to hear because I have some news that may interest you."<p>

He leaned forward as he folded his hands in front of him.

"I don't need to tell you that you're my best engineer cadet, keeping this in mind I offer you an opportunity to enroll in a program where you can graduate within the year. Now I won't lie, it'll take a lot of hard work, and dedication, and no doubt having to work extra hours." He paused for a moment before he continued, never once straying from his vision. "I would not offer this opportunity to just anyone cadet."

Zareth raised a brow. "If I may ask sir, what is the catch?"

The older man smiled at first and then laughed heartily. "Ata boy! spoken like an earthman! Yes, there is a catch, and that is that once you do graduate, you'll be immediately put on assignment aboard a star ship. We need excellent engineers such as yourself. It is unfortunate to say that we have far too many newbies who board a ship and once problems surface they crack under pressure and we simply can't have that."

Zareth kept his neutral expression but his mind was going in many directions, mostly he thought about how this would affect Sarah; this would put strain upon their relationship.

"I'll give you time to think about it, discuss it with your wife, do whatever you need to do, but I need an answer in three days, we can't delay on this."

He gave Zareth a small smile before dismissing him, leaving the vulcan with much to contemplate.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Instead of going straight home, Zareth left Sarah a message that he was heading to Malek's place, he needed to discuss something with him first and he knew this was so since the first thing that Malek said to him when he walked through the door was: "So, they made you the offer?"

"You knew." Was all Zareth replied.

"Your name has been circulating amongst the staff, yes. I did not want to tell you anything until something was formerly said to you though."

"You stated in our previous conversation that space is not a place to raise children. If I accept this offer; do you believe that Sarah and I will have difficulties?"

Malek sighed and walked over to his kitchenette to put a tea kettle on before he invited him to sit down.  
>"I cannot tell you that you will or won't have difficulties brother, but take it from someone who has spent many years in space aboard a ship; It is my opinion that it wouldn't make a proper place to raise children." He looked at him curiously then. "Do you still want children Zareth? You seem very reluctant about all this; I honestly thought you would've rejected the offer straight away."<p>

Zareth's eyes grew wider and he had to suppress his indignation at the accusation thrown at him. "Of course I want children with Sarah, but this is a great honor bestowed upon me, I cannot simply turn it down without giving it thought."

"That's how it is made to appear, but what they're really telling you is that they want you to bust your butt, and jeopardize your marriage all in the promise of becoming an Ensign a year sooner so you can take orders from some halfwit ignoramus who you can probably outsmart any day." Malek said with disgust.

Zareth had to admit, the offer now held a completely different light to him than it did before when explained in such a form. The commander never did say anything in regard to what his rank would be once assigned to a ship.

"You need to figure out what your priorities will be brother. A life in Star Fleet, or happiness with your wife and children."

"I cannot see why I can't have both." Zareth replied.

Malek in turn chuckled. "Well if you accept this offer you might as well kiss your marriage goodbye. Didn't they tell you how much time this one year program would take away from you? Let's just say that you'd probably only be able to see Sarah when you come home at 2200 hours, and maybe one or two weekends during the month. Do you think she will be pleased with that?"

Zareth thought back to the time when they were still only friends and he was busy working on a project. They barely saw anything of each other for only a week, he remembered that she was not pleased with him during that time, and he in turn had been very frustrated, they had even argued which they rarely do.

"No, she will most definitely not."

Malek nodded. "Do not be of the mindset that this is the only offer that will ever be made to you. Something will come along that will satisfy your needs, it doesn't necessarily have to come from Star Fleet."

Zareth raised a brow, "Is there something you're not telling me Malek?"

Malek gave him a smirk, but said nothing except: "Go home to your wife Zareth, and turn that ridiculous offer down first thing tomorrow."

He nodded as he stood up. "I concur with your thoughts; I thank you for your advice to me on this matter."

Malek waved it off. "That's what brothers in high places are for." He finished with a smirk.

"You and T'Mari are still coming to our residence this Saturday?" Zareth asked as they walked to the door.

"Yes, and Narij asked if she could bring a guest this time, that Andorian guy she won't shut up about, was it Jerky? Twitchy,? Whatever the heck his name is finally got roped in by her and now she takes him everywhere with her as if he were a pet dog; it's sickening!"

Zareth gave a small upturn of the lips as he remembered listening to the all-female conversation that took place in his home. "Yes, she may bring him."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Good! You're finally home!" Sarah exclaimed as she greeted him, she was wearing her yellow apron today. "I was just getting ready to... Something's wrong." She said as she looked at him curiously.

"Spill." She commanded as she sat down on their recently purchased couch and patted the seat next to her, it was made out of a material very similar to black leather, Malek had been tickled pink when he first saw it.

With a heavy sigh, Zareth sat next to her and proceeded to explain everything that had happened, he made sure to keep his hands at his sides and not make any physical contact with Sarah until he was finished since he wanted the conversation to remain serious and that wouldn't happen if they happened to touch. The simplest caress from her would quickly alter his thoughts to other activities and that simply would not do right now.

"Wow." Sarah finally said after he had finished. "I think you're making the correct decision. I know this might sound selfish, but I don't think I could handle you being away from me all the time and I could understand a few weeks, a month at most but a whole year?"

"I know." Zareth replied. "It is not acceptable."

"They should offer that to someone who is single and has no responsibilities other than taking care of himself." Sarah said and then turned to him with a smile on her face. "Not a family man." She said as she caressed the side of his face and looked deep into his eyes before giving him a gentle kiss.

"Which reminds me, Malek and T'Mari will be present on Saturday as well as Narij and her Andorian friend."

"Oh good!" Sarah exclaimed happily. "So she managed to rope him in after all!" Sarah said happily.

Zareth slanted his head in a confused manner. "That is the second time I have heard such a phrase, where does the term "rope someone in" stem from?"

Sarah gave him a smoldering look and Zareth could feel through their bond instantly that this was something that required a lengthy explanation, preferably in the confines of their bed chamber immediately.  
>As if to confirm this Sarah, trailed a finger up his chest, the sensation causing him to purr.<br>"I could explain it to you, but I could also show you; your choice." She said with a sly grin.

Zareth took a deep breath, controlling the urge he had to place her beneath him and have at her.  
>"I think" He said in a deep husky voice, "It would be logical to choose the option that will provide the fullest effect; I require that you show me in full detail." He said as he pulled her close to him and began to slowly press his fingers against hers before he kissed her deeply.<p>

"I will Zareth." She whispered as she pulled away gently from his embrace. "Right after we have dinner, come on, it's ready!" She said excitedly as she jumped up from the couch and ran towards the kitchen.

Zareth sighed heavily as he leaned back against the couch, suddenly wishing that she had not prepared nourishment for the evening.

OoOoOoOoO

Zareth went that very next morning to speak to his superior. The older man smiling brightly as he saw him approach.

"Zareth! I take it you could not wait to tell me the good news!" He exclaimed.

"I have made my decision, but I am afraid that I must decline the offer. I thank you for having extended the opportunity to me, but I feel that it would be better suited for someone who was free of personal responsibility."

The man visibly frowned as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"So in other words, your wife told you to turn it down." He said in a grave voice.

Zareth raised a brow. "Actually, I had made up my mind already before I told her of the events, she simply concurred with my decision."

"That must be some tail you've got back home to get you to turn down an offer like this!"

Zareth's eyes sprung open wide in shock but he quickly controlled himself. "You asked me to make a choice and I have made it. I see no reason to insult my wife or my decision in the matter."

"Fine!" The older man barked as he marched away from him. "Be an idiot, but mark my words cadet, you will get nowhere in Star Fleet with that attitude!"

He raised a brow as the commander stormed off. Zareth hoped that his superior would not make things difficult for him now because of the decision he had made.


	35. Chapter 35

It was early Saturday morning and Zareth was already up as usual when Sarah woke. She was going to dedicate that morning to cleaning the house and preparing food so that everything would be ready for her guests that evening.

After freshening up, she made her way downstairs; she could hear the faint sound of the lawn mower. For all the progress that man had made throughout the years, she still couldn't figure out why they couldn't get lawn mowers to not make so much noise, but then she figured it was because men got a kick out of it, or the sound made them feel macho.. it was probably some nonsense like that. At least you could program them to mow themselves but Zareth liked to do it the old fashioned way.

Sarah liked to make hearty breakfasts on the weekends and today she was going to make a mushroom and cheese quiche, veggie breakfast patties with a fruit salad on the side.  
>She had just popped the quiche in the oven when she heard Zareth come in through the back porch. She was now putting water in the kettle for his tea and her coffee when he came in.<p>

"Good morning." He greeted, She turned around with a bright smile on her face, she was wearing a lavender apron today, it was quite becoming on her fair skin.

"My love." She replied as they brushed two fingers together.

"I saw several plants on the right side of our yard. I did not mow them for they seemed to be intentionally planted there. Would you happen to know anything about this?"

"Oh yes!" She replied excitedly. "I forgot to tell you that I started a garden. I figured that we have all this land, we might as well put it to good use and harvest our own organic food. Next I'm going to plant a lemon tree, and a nectarines."

He nodded. "That is logical." He replied as he sat down in the bar area and watched her pour tea for him.

"Are all of our guests still attending this evening?"

"Umm.. Denning won't be able to make it, he got called and is traveling off planet, but everyone else is to my knowledge." She said as she fetched his agave nectar.

"Including Narij and her companion?" He finally asked and Sarah stilled.

"I know what this is about." She said with a sly smirk.  
>She came around and sat next to him, placing the nectar and a spoon next to his cup of tea. "You're reluctant about our Andorian guest aren't you?"<p>

"That is illogical reasoning." He mumbled.

"Hmmmm.. Is it?" She asked as she grabbed her own mug of coffee.  
>When he didn't answer she continued:<br>"I don't think that he's your stereotypical Andorian, his being on Earth and in Star Fleet alone proves that."

He raised a brow. "Have you met him?" He asked.

"Briefly, we didn't talk much because I was on my way to class but he is always with Narij now. It's funny because he's so tall... I'd say he's about 6' 5" and poor Narij is only like 4' 11" Come to think of it he didn't say much, he simply nodded his head, didn't smile, his behavior was very Vulcan."

"I highly doubt that." Zareth replied.

"No really! He didn't express any emotion to having met me, just stood there and looked at Narij the whole time as if she were the only one that existed."  
>Zareth did not say anything in this regard but he internally breathed a sigh of relief.<p>

"Andorians are not known for their warm greeting, my guess would be that he does not know you well enough to determine how to comport around you."

She smirked, "Sounds like someone I know."

He lifted a brow. "I was very courteous to you when we first met." He countered in a neutral tone.

"Right, you scared the life out of me; the last thing I expected to find was a curious Vulcan spying on me that day."

"I was not spying; I was simply investigating my surroundings and happened upon a female who peaked my interest. It was logical to evaluate further."

She batted her lashes playfully at him.  
>"But you didn't smile, or greet me warmly."<p>

"But I engaged in conversation with you, and continued to do so almost every single day after that. If memory serves me correctly; it was you who was reluctant and displayed annoyance towards me in the beginning."

Her eyes grew wide and then she began to giggle. "You wouldn't let me study with all your questions! At first I was under the impression that you specifically came to the lab simply to annoy me."

"You are only partially correct with that statement, for it was not my intention to annoy you, but I cannot deny that I would come primarily to the lab in order to be in your presence. I was drawn to you."

She smiled as she lightly fingered his hair; he never openly admitted that he liked it very much when she did that in private. She also took to doing it when they would lie in bed after being intimate, the sensation would always send him off to a deep and restful sleep.  
>"Oh Zareth. I didn't come to realize how I truly felt about you until the holodeck incident. It took time, and maybe that's what our new Andorian friend needs, time to see that we are the most awesome group of people he will ever meet.<p>

Zareth gave her a small smile. "Humble as well."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"BROTHER!" Melek yelled as he charged in through the door and lifted Zareth off the ground and spun him around. All the while Zareth didn't even flinch as he was placed back on the ground.

"Malek." He replied in his neutral fashion to which Sarah burst out laughing at.

"At least your wife gets a kick out of seeing me again. Anyway, I want to present to you..." He turned around to where T'Mari, Narij and the very tall Andorian were now standing. Sarah had to admit that he was very attractive. He had a nice build, short silver hair, and the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen. She compared him to a Norwegian guy she use to have a crush on in her youth except that he was blue and had antennas sticking out of his head.

"Hey, what was your name again Quirky?" Malek asked.

"For the fifth time Malek! It's Zhraan!" Narij yelled in an annoyed manner as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh yeah! Sorry blue; it's gonna take a while.  
>Where are my manners? Sarah! how are you?" He said as he walked over to her. Next time when you and my brother are playing cowboys and indians, don't tie the rope so tightly, you can still see the marks on Zareth's wrists."<p>

"Malek!"  
>Everyone except the Andorian yelled in unison. Zhraan fidgeted slightly, as he was holding a large pot in his hands.<br>Sarah saw this and walked over to him, still blushing furiously from Malek's comment, she had taught Zareth what "getting roped in" meant, and he had taken quite a fascination to it lately.

"Hi Zhraan! This is my husband Zareth." Zareth walked up and gave him a curt nod, to which Zhraan nodded back. "Did you need me to put that down on the stove?"

"Yes please." He said as he handed it to her. "It is a variation of butter chicken, but Narij used tofu instead. I hope we brought enough"  
>Sarah's eyes grew wide as she felt how heavy the pot was. "Oh I think it will be."<p>

"Zhraan eat's a lot though." Narij said. "I wish I had his metabolism, look how good he looks!"

"You guys mind if I give blue a tour of the house?" Malek asked as he was already going up the stairs.

"What did we talk about earlier Malek?" T'Mari said in a severe manner.

"What? He's practically part of the family now, he doesn't mind right blue?"

He seemed to fidget yet again before answering. "Family is of utmost importance. I understand that nicknames are given to those that are considered valued individuals; no, I do not mind if this is the case." He then looked over at Narij. "Accompany me please." To which Narij happily followed, his antenna quivering slightly as he smiled at her.

"He seems like a nice guy." Sarah said once they were gone.

"He is very agreeable, and family bonds are of extreme importance to him. When Narij first met him, he was in a... depressive state sort to speak. I believe he was first intrigued by her when she mentioned to him in a conversation that she has eight brothers and sisters in India, and that she wanted a large family herself."  
>T'Mari said.<p>

"So he is alone here?" Zareth asked.

"For now but he told Narij that he has a sibling and an Uncle that are planning on buying an engineering company, and of course he has Narij now. I understand that they currently own a company in Andoria and it is one of the most successful businesses on the planet, they want to try to expand over to Earth."

Zareth raised a brow. "I have never seen him in any of the engineering workshops."

"He himself is not an engineer, but most of the members in his family are. He is in the technical writing field so it requires working alongside engineers."

They could suddenly hear Malek talking as they were moving to another room. "So when you guys decide to tie the knot and buckle down, you let me know and I'll help design the layout."

T'Mari sighed loudly. "Malek is quite taken with him as you can see. He's already trying to plan an outing of sorts, he will no doubt discuss it during dinner."

"You hungry blue?" They could hear him asking.

"Yes." The Andorian quickly replied.

"Alright, I'll show you the rest of the house afterwards."

T'Mari turned to them and whispered. "Zhraan consumes five meals a day; but has only had three, do not be alarmed at the quantity he will no doubt consume.

And she wasn't kidding for when they sat down and ate, he refilled his plate four times during the course of the meal, and it was mostly the tofu dish that Narij had made.  
>Narij was tickled pink. "You like it baby?"<br>"It is delicious, you are an efficient cook." He replied as he continued to eat.

"So after blue finishes inhaling all our leftovers, I figure we discuss going on vacation together during the autumn break coming up, Denning will be joining us too; I've already spoken to him about it." Malek said as he sipped his tea.

"May I suggest we go to Alaska; I hear it is quite fine that time of year." Zhraan commented.

The thought of snow and ice came to the forefront of Zareth's mind and immediately he scratched that as a possible suggestion, Sarah noticed the slight tremble he gave. She smiled as she reached over and intertwined her hand with his.

"Hey! No hand kissing at the table!" Malek shrieked to which someone replied by stepping on his foot under the table. "Hey who did that? Was that you blue?" but he and Narij were quietly conversing, a mischievous sort of grin on her face as she lightly brushed one of his antenna's with her hand.

"Yup, we've lost her." Sarah said with a grin.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After dinner the women went up to Sarah's office as was the norm while the men sat out in the patio around the fire pit that Malek lit.

"I heard that Leonard has been giving you hell lately." Malek commented to Zareth.

"He has been increasing my workload and treating me in an inferior manner; yes."

Zhraan looked up at him and asked: "If you don't mind my asking; why do you allow him to treat you so? Can you not file a complaint against him?"

Zareth simply sighed in response. "You see blue.." Malek began. "Leonard offered him a chance to become an Ensign by the end of this year, but it requires a ridiculous amount of overtime and he would hardly be able to see anything of Sarah. Put yourself in his position, the title of an Ensign is nothing to brag about. How would you feel if they promised you that title but told you that in return you would barely see Narij?"

The Andorian's antenna began to flicker around rapidly before stilling. "I would be extremely upset. The offer does not sound very enticing."

"Exactly." Malek continued, "But now he's upset with Zareth for having chosen his mate's needs over becoming another cog in the machine."

"It sounds like jealousy to me." Zhraan replied.

Malek raised a brow. "I didn't even think that as a possibility!" He seemed to be mulling it over in his mind before asking Zareth. "Does Leonard have a female?"

Zareth raised a brow. "I do not discuss such things with him Malek."

"You don't have to ask, humans wear a ring on their left hand like the one you're wearing as a sign that they have a mate, does he have one?"

Zareth looked at the gold ring that Sarah gave to him and thought back on the times he had come across his superior. "He does not." He finally replied, "but it is illogical to be jealous. He is a respected individual; Star Fleet caters to almost all of his needs…."

"Doesn't matter, he probably wants a woman to put a smile on his nasty old face. Now that comment he made to you about tail makes sense." Malek ground out with distaste.

"Humans do have the capability of becoming blinded by illogical emotions where desires, particularly those of mating are concerned." Zhraan commented.

"So let's take him out on the town, introduce him to some uglies." Malek suggested.

"He does not strike me as the type I would want to associate with outside of work." Zhraan replied.  
>Zareth nodded. "I concur with Zhraan on this matter. This must dealt with professionally."<p>

Fine! Malek relented. "In all seriousness Zareth, talk to Denning when he gets back in town, I'm sure he'll at least be able to give you some sound advice; you shouldn't have to put up with his intolerant behavior. He approached you with that offer and said it was your choice, and is now punishing you for not having selected the option he desired. Have you talked to Sarah about this?"

"She does not know of the recent mistreatment and I do not wish her to know since she has already been through her own ordeal and is still recuperating from it."

"That's true." Malek replied. "It's better you don't say anything just yet, in the meantime, let's test out Zhraan's ability at Kal-toh." Malek said with a smirk as he pulled out the silver box.

**Yup, we have a lovely new character!  
>Let me just say that it was hard trying to find plausible information regarding Andorians, I finally stumbled upon stogeekwiki/andorian and that was a site that gave me some decent information. I didn't really care for how the enterprise series depicts them as warrior brutes similar to Klingons so I went with what I had read and did my own spin on it.**

**Reviews are love :-)**

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	36. Chapter 36

**And of course, there will be girl talk *giggle snort*… and some guy talk too. Especially concerning our new Andorian friend. Enjoy!**

**Thanks to ByaSouthernLady for suggesting I actually go through with that idea, at first I was unsure of it, anyway, here it is:**

* * *

><p>"So.. ?" Sarah asked as she gave Narij a mischievous smile once the door to her office was closed. The men were downstairs in the patio so it was safe for them to speak whatever they wished for now. Sarah spread a comfortable blanket and they all sat on the floor, a giant pile of snacks in the middle.<p>

"What?" Narij asked in an innocent manner.

"I believe that Sarah intends for you to elaborate on Zhraan at this time." T'Mari said as she picked up a twizzler from the junk food pile.

"Exactly, thank you T'Mari." She said before looking over at Narij again. "Can he kiss at least?"

"Oh come on!" Narij exclaimed, unable to hide her smile.

"I know you're going to talk because last time, you made me answer all the questions you had in regards to Vulcan males."

"I was curious!" Narij defended.

"Well, I'm curious too, so spill." Sarah said as she too picked up a twizzler. "Should I make smores? I still have some graham crackers downstairs."

"I would wait, our men will be able to smell it and once they do, Zareth will be wanting us to leave in order to have you to himself, and Malek will be pushing us out the door as well." T'Mari said.

"Oh yeah, you make a valid point there… but anyway.." She said turning back to Narij. "I want to know about those antennas of his, is it true that that is how they kiss? So downstairs when you were brushing your fingers against them, were you technically kissing?"

Narij was blushing and actually stammering.. "Well… yeah.. I mean… I don't really feel anything when I touch his antenna but for him, it's extremely thrilling, didn't you see the smile on his face?"

"Of course I did, why do you think I'm asking these questions?" Sarah said as she chewed on her twizzler. It was the only time she actually ate food like that was when Narij and T'Mari came over.

"He can kiss like we do, and he's very good at that too. Very, very good! but he seems to prefer that I touch his antenna, particularly the left one."

"So.. what else? What else?" Sarah said as she waved her hand impatiently in the air.

"Well.." Narij said with a blank stare. "What do you want to know? We haven't… you know yet, and it's not because he hasn't tried! Heck, even during our first official date, he came in to pick me up, gave me a polite kiss which intensified more quickly than I ever imagined and had I not stopped him, he would've taken me right then and there! He is extremely passionate!"

Sarah couldn't help but fall back laughing, "Twitchin is Itchin to get in your pants Narij!" then she stilled and sat back up again.  
>"So.. is his anatomy like… I mean, I heard that Andorians have four genders."<p>

"Yes, and I have also been informed that it is customary in Andoria for two couples to wed and make one bond because of their various genders. That they are reluctant to enter deep romantic relationships outside their immediate Keth Indeed I was surprised to find that he had only chosen you as a mate." T'Mari added.

"Well about that. Zhraan says that while there are many Andorians who still keep up with tradition in that sense, many go out and simply seek their own mates. The only problem there is the fact that Andorians cannot produce offspring with other humanoids. So even though he…" She looked over at Sarah and smirked.  
>"Yes Sarah, he's got the appropriate plumbing. We technically wouldn't be able to reproduce but.. but..He says that some famous doctor.. Cant' remember his name right now, has done much progress with genetic sequencing research, and it may be possible for Zhraan and I to have a child if we undergo some treatments. Even if we can't have any of our own it'll be fine, we'll adopt, but Zhraan wants a big family and I do too."<p>

"You see, I would never think that simply from looking at him. His demeanor seems so calm, and stoic, almost that of a Vulcan!" Sarah exclaimed.

"From what I understand of Andorians, and correct me if I am mistaken Narij is that at first glance, they can appear that way. They are a highly intelligent species, and appear deadpan, and emotionless to those they are not accustomed to being around, but I am sure that is not the case when he and Narij are alone in private, and I have a strong feeling that once he becomes accustomed to us, we will see that he is far from comporting like a Vulcan. Is this not so Narij?" T'Mari asked with a raised brow to which Narij answered as her cheeks again became quite red.

"He's definitely not like a Vulcan when we're alone." She said with a smirk.

"Who is though?" Sarah said as she picked up an Oreo cookie. "I mean, when Zareth and I are alone, he doesn't act like he does when he's out in public."

"That is because he is catering to your human need of affection and strong emotions." T'Mari equipped but Sarah quickly raised a brow and asked. "So is it the opposite for Malek? Is he the center of attention in public but a stoic bore when he's alone with you?"

Narij laughed out loud at that and quickly covered her mouth as she looked up apologetically at T'Mari.

"I'm sorry Tam, I just pictured Malek being serious for once."

"For your information, Malek is very passionate. It is a good thing that we only require four hours for our sleep cycle, otherwise it would be very difficult to keep him satisfied." T'Mari said with a slight smirk to which Sarah's jaw practically dropped. And here she thought Zareth was insatiable.

"No way…" Narij replied as if thinking the same thing as Sarah.

T'Mari simply graced them with a small smile as she picked up a chocolate covered almond. "I would never lie." She said before placing the chocolate confection in her mouth.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, what do you think our women are doing right now?" Malek asked as he watched Zareth make his move.

Zareth seemed to think about it for a moment before he answered without looking up. "They're talking about us."

"You feel it too?" Malek said with a smirk. "Yeah; they're up to no good, we should go up there and teach them a lesson!... After this last game."

Zhraan looked at them in a somber manner before he said: "I have always admired the way that Vulcans are able to form mental bonds with their mates. I would so very much like to do so with Narij. Sometimes I have a hard time deciphering what her needs and wants are."

"You mean she doesn't outright tell you like most human females? They're very good at that." Malek said as he went to grab one of the small silver rods.  
>"Question Blue, how did you ask her to date you? Did you have to persuade her? Use some kind of school project as an excuse? How did you do it?"<p>

Zhraan blinked and his antenna tweaked a bit. "I didn't, she was the one that suggested we become companions. She told me to come alone to her quarters and pick her up because she was going to prepare nourishment in the east building where the staff kitchens are, she had apparently been given permission to do so. At first I was unsure but once I came into her quarters I realized that she was secreting an enormous amount of pheromones which indicated to me that she wanted to mate so I went ahead and..."

Malek had chosen that very moment to take a drink out of his glass, unfortunately he was unprepared for what the Andorian said and succeeded in spraying the contents that were in his mouth on to his brother who sat across from him, annoyance portrayed in his eyes as water dripped from his face. He immediately stood up from his chair.

"Forgive me Zareth, it's Blue's fault for going on about how he did the nasty with Narij."

"But we didn't! You see after we…"

"I'm going to get myself cleaned up." Zareth said as he left Malek talking with Zhraan, he didn't necessarily care for where the conversation was headed. There was also the fact that he could feel through their bond that Sarah was currently aroused as she had been sending him images but he had managed to keep himself under control.  
>He was walking towards the bathroom that was down the hall from the kitchen when he heard her approaching quickly, he turned around to speak to her, but she quickly grabbed him, pressing him against the wall and kissing him until she was breathless, "Sarah, I!" He tried to whisper to her, but she then shoved him in the bathroom before she closed and locked the door.<p>

***Sigh* These crazy kids are gonna be the death of me..  
><strong>


	37. Chapter 37

Some weeks passed where the situation in engineering only seemed to worsen to the point where Zareth would be arriving home sometimes at 2000 hours. It was as if his superior was having him do the work that he had offered Zareth before except he'd have no benefit from it now. Zareth knew it was what Sarah would term as: "unfair" but he did not know that there was a logical solution to his current predicament since he was dealing with a most illogical human who happened to be his superior. After the third day in a row of this Sarah was waiting for him at the door, she was not pleased.

"How long is this going to continue?" was the first thing out of her mouth when he walked in.

"I do not know." He answered in all honesty. "And I am expected to come in this weekend as well." He said as he sat down, he was exhausted.

"That's Bullshit!" Sarah yelled angrily before she put down the kitchen rag and sat beside him. She hardly ever cursed, the fact that she did so now proved just how upset she was with regards to all this.

"Zareth, you're going to have to report him. You not doing anything about this is like saying to him that he can do whatever he wants and get away with it."

"Sarah, do you not think that I have not thought about it? I even spoke to commander Denning with regards to this matter, and he confirmed my suspicion that it would be very unlikely that the staff would side with a cadet over an officer unless it proves to make me physically ill or something of that nature which it has not. Denning had stated that they would have a strong case if they had hard evidence of something he terms as 'foul play'"

The truth was that she knew this, which was why she had been concocting a plan of her own, she had been reluctant about seeing it through but now she realized she had no choice, and she couldn't tell Zareth about it because he would not only disagree, but he would go out of his way to stop her since the plan was risky, she could get in a lot of trouble if it didn't work out. Despite all this she realized it had to be done, Zareth was worth it and so was their happiness, she wasn't about to let some old geezer break up what they had.

She didn't realize how much time had passed as she sat there thinking about it, and it wasn't until Zareth placed his hands on her shoulders that she finally snapped out of her thoughts.  
>"Huh?" She said as she turned to him.<p>

"Sarah I.. I wish for us to discuss this at a more convenient time. I have not had any nourishment since 1300 hours and I desire to spend time with you as well." He kissed her and quickly sought out her hand with his own. She wasn't really in the mood, as a matter of fact; what she really wanted to do was knock whoever his professor was off the ground, these feelings transferred through their bond and Zareth stilled during the kiss.  
>"You are still angry." He whispered as he slightly backed away from her. Her eyes shot open and she quickly pulled him closer to her. "No, no, no!" She said as she cradled his face in her hands. "I want to spend time with you as well. I miss not seeing you." She then began to kiss him in earnest, and he quickly followed her lead.<br>She could not let on for a moment of what she was truly thinking, this had to work for both their sakes.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah got up earlier than usual, and despite that Zareth was already gone. She felt anger surge through her again, and it simply served to motivate her further with regards to her plan. She got dressed and quickly made her way first thing to see Denning, who was sitting at his desk going over PADDS from other cadets.  
>He looked up and quickly got out of his chair, a smile in place. "Sarah! What a surprise! Please!" He said motioning towards the seat across from him. "I hardly see you anymore now that your classes changed, how are you?"<p>

She gave a wry smile. "I'm fine, I... actually no. I'm not fine, and that commander Leonard is the cause of it."

Denning's smile quickly dissipated as he put down the PADD he was looking at and quickly folded his hands together. "You know that there isn't much I can do with that regard, if I could; I would have already."

She sat back on the chair and gave him a mischievous smile. "I have a plan."  
>The smile returned to Denning's face as he leaned forward on his seat. "Oh?"<p>

"But I'd understand if you didn't want to go through with it, and Zareth cannot know."

Denning leaned back against his chair as he looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I'm listening."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth got home that night at 2100 hours, and even though he didn't feel any particular frustration through the bond, he imagined that she was going to be very upset with him. It was quite disturbing when he walked in but not the way he expected for he found that Sarah was not there. A feeling of dread settled at the pit of his stomach as he frantically made his way upstairs, perhaps she was in one of the rooms, but she was not.  
>He quickly made his way downstairs again and checked the patio before coming back inside and seeing the note she had left on the counter.<p>

"_Had to take care of some business with Denning, will be home lat_e. ~ Sarah"

Without even thinking, he grabbed the note and crumbled it with his fist. What business could she possibly have with Denning this late at night? He slammed his hand so hard against the counter that the point of impact formed a small crack on the granite. He was behaving illogically he knew, and part of it was because he no longer had time to meditate as he usually did.  
>He knew Sarah would not be unfaithful to him, and even if she were to do such a thing, which she wouldn't, he would know it through the bond.<p>

He tried to concentrate on her, and was suddenly engulfed with waves of various emotions. There was nervousness, excitement, anger, and adrenaline. What could she possibly be doing to extract such emotions from her?  
>For once, he didn't know what to do. Should he go out in search of her? She had left no indication of where she was headed, it would be illogical for she could return at any moment, no; he would stay here and wait. The logical thing would be to contact Denning and ask when she would be returning.<p>

Having made up his mind, he went to contact him via comm only to find that it immediately went to his message box, it seems he had turned it off.  
>Zareth gave an aggravated sigh as he paced around the kitchen, he never did such things. He looked to his right and saw that there was a pot on the stove, he walked over to it and saw that she had left him Quinoa. He felt his tension subside somewhat and decided that he needed to try to calm himself and he needed nourishment. He sighed as he picked up a plate and began to help himself to Dinner.<p>

She got back an hour later, breathing heavily, and looking extremely disoriented, but what Zareth took immediate note of was the fact that she was wearing far too much makeup and a scandalous red dress that was far too short and revealing; he never knew that she owned such a trashy garment. He could feel what had been simmering start to boil, his vision blurred by rage, a rage he could not control for long.

"Explain!" He practically barked at her. "It is nearly 2330 and this is when you arrive? And please explain why you are dressed in such distasteful attire and with a man who is not your bonded!"

"Zareth please! I can explain." She began.

"Were you with him?" He asked as he approached her. She had never seen him like this.

"With who? Denning?"

He growled at the sound of his name.

"Yes, I was but I need to talk to you about this I.."

He took two paces and he was there in front of her, grabbing her roughly by arm with one hand and quickly placing his other hand on her psi-point. Immediately she felt him in her mind, savagely seeking out the contents of what occurred that night.

She was with Narij in her quarters telling her: "Girl I need a huge favor, I need to borrow the sexiest dress you own, and help me with makeup too."

"But.. you're a lot taller than me and it'll fit you small, you'll look like a total tramp." She said in her familiar high pitched voice.

"That's kinda what I'm going for." Sarah replied to which Narij smirked. "oooohh looks like Zareth is going to have fun tonight!"  
>The declaration made him angrier if possible. He forced himself even more into her mind ignoring her cries for he needed to know, it was as if his life depended on knowing. He bypassed how she arranged herself, and other things she did until she was finally with Denning, and he stopped there, watching as if he was present.<p>

"You sure you really want to do this?" He asked her. "We can still back out."

She looked him firmly in the eyes and said: "No, we need to do this." He had nodded. "Ok, you know when to come in." and then he turned from her and walked into a bar.

Zareth stilled for a moment, he did not understand what was going on, why had he not advanced on her? He continued to observe the events. Sarah had walked in several minutes later after he had and took a seat in the far back of the bar, watching as Denning sat next to... his superior!?

They greeted warmly, a smile Zareth had come to know was 'fake' emitting from Denning as he told the bartender: "Set my friend up with Kentucky's finest bourbon."  
>At first he could barely hear Commander Leonard speaking, but after four more drinks, he was quite jovial, more than he had ever seen him. He was currently patting Denning in the arm and animatedly talking quite loudly when Denning looked over at Sarah and made some kind of hand signal, he then turned towards Leonard and said: "Excuse me while I visit the men's room" he then turned and instead of heading towards the indicated area, he turned towards the back of the bar, pulling out a small silver device, all the while Leonard never even noticed a thing until the most beautiful woman he had ever beheld walked up to him.<p>

Zareth growled as he viewed how the commander practically ate his mate with his eyes, he wanted at that moment to cause him serious injury.

The old man's eyes practically came out of their sockets as he looked her up and down hungrily several times, the drool practically escaping his mouth until he sucked it back in with a deep inhale and wiped the remnants of moisture from his mouth.

"My, you are beautiful."

"Curious, I was thinking something similar from across the room." She said in what he knew was an overeager smile she gave when she didn't want anyone to know she was distressed. "May I join you?"

"Absolutely!" He cried out loudly as he got up to pull out the chair for her, he almost fell in the process, but tried to pull it off as moving the chair to better accommodate her.

"Thank you" She said as he continued to openly stare.

"Bar tender! Get this gor... hot human specimen a drink, she'll have..."

"Wine, red wine."

"Mmmmm red wine, for a red hot lady."

Wow that was.. so incredibly lame, but she quickly laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard, it obviously pleased him.

"My goodness, if you don't have the most gorga.. gor... gorgeous! eyes I have ever seen, you mean to tell me that a gem like you isn't going with a young stud?" He slurred.  
>She looked down at her left finger, Zareth's ring obviously absent, but the mark was still there, he was obviously so plastered he didn't even notice.<p>

"I actually never really date or come to places like this but my friend insisted that I meet this guy whom I've never met, and she let me borrow some clothes and did my makeup.. anyway, he was supposed to be here an hour ago and I guess he's not going to show up..."

"Don't worry sweet heart, you.. you're with me now." He said as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and downed another bourbon. Sarah smirked then, he didn't need much more before he would be completely off his tits.

She quickly looked over at Denning, and gave him some kind of signal before she took his hand and placed on her person in such a way that it seemed like he was attacking her, she even made sure to make herself look as if she was extremely frightened.

"Wha... what are you doing?! You wanna play missy, just say.. just.. I don't live far from here."

Oh god, his breath was so foul, it took everything she had to continue with the act.  
>He tried to kiss her, but she jerked her head to the side as if fighting him.<p>

"Come on then, but I'll drive, give me your keys." She said as she got up from her seat. He didn't argue, and pulled out his keys and tried throwing them towards her except that he completely missed and they landed three feet away from her, she turned to grab them and he watched as she bent over.

Before she knew it, he was behind her, trying to wrap his arms around her while she tried to jerk out of his grasp. "Please! Wait until we get in the car!"

"You smell pretty.. so pre... " and then he completely passed out. Sarah almost dropped him but Denning came running from the back and helped her carry him.

"You got it?" She asked as they left the bar with him in tow.

"Yeah, you did an awesome job, all we have to do is load the photos and you should be good to go."

They were outside and had just put him on the passenger seat of the hover car before Denning came around to her. "I've got it from here, go to your husband, tell him what happened, in the end it's up to him if he wants to go through with it or not, but this should work. It's not the first time he's been accused of trying to come on to a cadet, he's been warned before, and with this he'll mostly likely be dismissed."

Sarah nodded. "Thank you, really I truly am grateful."

He smiled before walking towards the driver's seat. "Go on home now; I'll talk to you tomorrow."

He drove off and Zareth chose that moment to pull away from Sarah. She gasped loudly and collapsed on the couch, twisting around and coughing. He was immediately at her side. He tried to touch her but she pulled away from him as if scared of him.

"Please Sarah, I'm sorry; I didn't know!"

She was still gasping, tears coming down her eyes, he had never forced himself on her mind in such a way, and such a reaction was not uncommon.  
>He tried to soothe her again and this time she didn't pull away. He held her against him and caressed her hair, her arms, anything to try to bring her relief.<p>

"Did you really think I would cheat on you?" She whispered in a trembled voice.

"Sarah please…" He said as he pressed his lips on top of her head.

"I was not thinking logically; forgive me."

She was starting to calm down, the tears stopped flowing and she hugged him tighter to her.

"Are you upset with me? With what I've done."

"Sarah.." He said as he turned her so he could look into her eyes.

"What you have done is reckless, and there are many factors you didn't consider; you're lucky that your plan was successful; I never would've expected you to do such a thing."

"But I had to!" She interrupted. "I had to because you were never going to report him until it destroyed us, and I wasn't about to let that happen!"

"Sarah I believe you underestimate me. I would not have waited until it had severed our relationship. When I arrived home tonight and saw you were not here I…I did not know what to make of it and I knew then that this could not continue. This cannot continue, and I am ashamed that you feel you had to do what you did in order to see my peace of mind restored."

He kissed her fervently, as if begging that she forgive him.

"Zareth, I did this because I love you, and I will not tolerate anyone trying to interfere with what we share, nobody can touch what we have, and you better believe that I will fight for what is ours, even if it means doing what I did tonight."

He sighed as he rested his forehead against hers. He looked into her eyes and felt less strained. His commander had been right about one thing though; she did have the most beautiful eyes. He knew then that he was going to give in to what she wanted, even if it was deceptive in his point of view.

"So? Will you let me carry out my plan?" She asked softly as she caressed the tip of his ear.

"We will discuss it, and .." He couldn't believe he was going to do this but he realized it was necessary, what she did could not be undone and it was logical to now carry it through. "We will both decide what is the best course of action, you still have the pictures?"

She smiled and slightly pulled away from him just to dig the tiny camera out of her bra. "It's all here, he's going to be forced to resign whether he likes it or not."

He nodded as he took it from her. "This is what we're going to do then."

**OH! Sorry, gonna have to wait till the next chapter to see what happens!**


	38. A note about chapter 37

**A note about chapter 37**

I've been getting a lot of hate reviews and PM's with regards to this so I felt it necessary to put this up.

I'm going to start by saying that a lot of people reacted to this last chapter just as I thought they would. In one way I'm glad for the spirit and energy, it allows me to see that there are people out there keeping up with it, but in another I admit I am dismayed because I find that a lot of people are quick to leave reviews to say something negative and disheartening yet that is the only time you hear them. If that is the only time you feel motivated to say anything; if my story displeases you to such an extent then by all means; stop reading it. Nobody is forcing you to, and if you had paid attention to the details you would've seen that this chapter had a lot going on, a lot of hidden suggestions that were intentionally placed.

I shall break it down in this way:

Sarah is frustrated about what's happening to Zareth, she feels there is nothing she can do about it so she does something... eh.. human, stupid even, because she loves him and wants to help in a way she feels works. It was impulsive, but that happens in real life relationships sometimes and Zareth is learning this.

There is also the fact that Sarah is not emotionally stable right now, she's just lost a baby. Add to the fact that her husband is suddenly not around, that does things to a person, particularly an emotionally fragile human female.  
>In the future he will know that when there is a problem that he knows will seriously affect his mate emotionally, he'll quickly handle it instead of letting it go on and on for too long.<p>

Denning on the other hand.. he still loves her even though he's accepted the fact that she belongs to Zareth now, still; he's not going to say no to her when she asks for help, even if it's not the best idea,... and so you have a huge mess forming... BUT... I've left a few indicators within the chapter that allow to understand that it can go either way, like when Denning tells her: "In the end, it will be Zareth's decision." and also when Zareth takes away the camera from her, he never gives her a straight forward answer as to what it really is they're going to do, it simply implies that he knows that he has to do something about it now and I did that on purpose.

I hope to convey that life and in particular love is a learning experience, and things aren't always going to be perfect. If you don't get that; then there's no point in you continuing to read this story, but if you have patience and wait for what the next chapter has in store, I hope that you will be gratified by what occurs.

I want to take this time to thank those who have stayed on with the story and always given me encouragement; and constructive criticism as opposed to bashing; I do honestly appreciate it.

Your humble servant ~ BewilderedFemale


	39. Chapter 39

**I would like to thank ByaSoutherLady who served as a beta for this chapter.**

* * *

><p>The next morning Denning was in his class room a lot earlier than usual. He was hoping that Leonard had seen the hangover tonic he had left him; otherwise the old man was going to be sick all day. He himself hadn't really gotten a good night's rest. He was anxious to know what Sarah had decided on doing, and hopefully she had calmed down and he could try talking some sense into her, that is if her husband hadn't done so already.<p>

There was a knock on his door followed by someone entering, he straightened up and swallowed hard, thinking it was Sarah, only to be greeted by the man in question himself. His eyes widened when he saw that the old man actually had a smile on his face.  
>"Denning!" He cried out jovially.<br>"I wanted to come and thank you first thing this morning! I can't remember when I had such a good time!"

Denning blinked hard, opened his mouth to speak and then tried not to falter his words. "I.. uh.. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, you looked as if you just needed to get away from everything."

The old man took a seat across from him, a smirk playing on his lips and he nodded his head as if remembering.  
>"You know; I don't mind that you saw me pass out Denning, it was worth it because while I was inebriated, I dreamt that the most gorgeous woman came right up to me, and she actually wanted me! She was wearing a tight red dress, raven hair, beautiful pale skin, the most gorgeous eyes in existence! It had to be a dream Denning! I mean, this girl was voluptuous, and her eyes! I've never seen such eyes on a person. No woman alive could be that beautiful!" He sighed then and his face suddenly took on a more serious look. "It made me think about things Denning, maybe I should try to get out more, try to be a more pleasant person, especially with the young ladies and maybe the dream wouldn't necessarily stay a dream. I mean, it's not like I'm expecting to come across a woman like that but, it would be nice to find someone adequate, you know what I mean Denning?"<p>

He looked across from Denning, his mouth open wide as if in shock, but he then abruptly closed it.  
>"Yes! I know exactly what you mean! Good for you Sir! You just let me know when you want to go out again and we'll make plans."<p>

The old man got up and was putting the chair back in place when he pointed at him. "You've got a deal Denning! You'll be hearing from me!" He finished with a smile before he left the room, and a very shocked commander.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"He thinks that you were a dream Sarah!" Denning exclaimed as soon as she walked in. Her eyes widened but then she gave him a small smile.

"You look tired, and..."

"I look like crap" She said as she sat across from him in the same seat Leonard had been in several minutes earlier.

"Well, did you and Zareth talk about it?"

She nodded. "We did. Stayed up most of the night talking actually about a lot of things.. Things that really needed to be said." She pulled out the small metallic device and pushed it towards him. "I'm not going to do it Denning."  
>She sighed loudly as she covered her face. "I'm so ashamed that I even thought for a moment that this would be a good idea, but even more so because I dragged you into it. Even if I could edit myself to make it look like I'm wearing my uniform instead of the trashy dress, even if the technology you have given me is from Taliszar II and nobody on Earth knows about it yet; I would know, and so would Zareth and I can't do that to either him or myself. I would know the truth and who knows, maybe they'd find out somehow anyway, nothing gets by Star Fleet! How did you find this camera anyway?" She said as she picked it up again, it looked just like the ones manufactured on earth.<p>

"They were actually very unwilling to part with it that is until I traded it for some Romulan ale that Malek had given me. I umm.. I'm actually extremely relieved to hear you say that because I was going to actually try to talk you out of it. Even more so since Leonard waltzed in here this morning and ..." Denning chuckled as he remembered. "He thinks that he dreamt you."

She raised a brow at him. "That sounds quite impossible, how could he have thought he dreamt me? He physically touched me and everything!"

"I swear to goodness!" He said as he raised his hand. "His precise words were: 'No woman alive could be that beautiful' plus, you showed interest in him so he is sure as shit that he was definitely dreaming. He's not use to drinking Sarah; it didn't take much to do him in. By the time you arrived, he was already well off his rocker."

"This doesn't change the initial problem though." She said sadly.  
>"Zareth is going to talk to him first thing today; I don't know how the commander will react to it. Zareth says that logic should've been the tactic that he should've used on him a long time ago. I think he feels ashamed that he's let this go on for as long as it has, and that we did.. . what we did as a result."<p>

"Sarah let me tell you something right now." Denning said as he leaned forward.

"I have never been married, but I've been in relationships before, and no relationship is perfect, especially since you guys are still starting out. Both of you have been through life altering experiences. Marriage being a joyful but challenging one because your priorities change. It's no longer all about you, you now have Zareth to consider in all your actions, the same goes for him; he's Vulcan, not perfect. He's going to make mistakes, and both of you have to work it out together. Then there's the.." He sighed, his face growing even more serious. "You want a family, yet you're here, still a cadet taking classes. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'll bet that if something happened today and it meant that you wouldn't be in Star Fleet tomorrow, it wouldn't matter that much to you anymore would it?"

He looked at her, she was looking to the side, but he could see a tear streaming down her cheek.

"I would be upset!" She countered. "I've worked hard and I want to graduate!"

"I know that's true Sarah, but at the same time, you're looking for a reason to just be done with Star Fleet, for Zareth to be done with Star Fleet so you can settle down and have a family! That's part of the reason why this plan we created ever even took off in the first place, not even thinking what it would mean for me, for Zareth, or even for yourself!"

"Please.. I'm sorry.." She cried. He had hit the nail on the head with that statement. What she had wanted when she initially joined Star Fleet had changed drastically, but she couldn't be selfish; she needed to see this through for everyone involved.

"Sarah, I'm not trying to accuse you, I'm simply stating what I see. Yes, there is life beyond Starfleet, but there's also the very important fact that if you don't do things the right way, it could be a disastrous outcome. I'm telling you this so that later on when something else comes up in your life and it will! You will always have obstacles, that in unavoidable, but you shouldn't resort to doing something like this, do you understand?"

She nodded, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm sorry it even came to this."

He sighed and leaned against his chair. "I'm sorry too. I got caught up in the moment and actually let you go through with it. It's really up to Zareth now. If he plays his cards right I think he'll make out alright. Leonard is not such an unreasonable man from how he acted earlier, he's just misunderstood and bitter because he's lonely, has made a couple of bad mistakes because of it too and I'm not excusing it mind you but, I think everything will work itself out."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth stilled momentarily as he was making his way to engineering. He could feel through the bond that Sarah was distressed. He closed his eyes momentarily, took a deep breath and continued to walk with renewed zeal. He had to do this not only for himself but for his bond mate who had already endured so much. It had never occurred to him that she would suffer so much simply from observing the injustice he was enduring. He was still in fact getting used to having a mate who was so emotional, especially where it concerned him. It was such a stark contrast to his previous mate who he wouldn't hear of for sometimes months at a time. Whereas with Sarah, he always needed to have her, she had become his very life.  
>He suddenly thought of Sarah, he could always count on her to be there when he got home, wearing one of her colorful aprons and awaiting him with a smile. He would do this for her, for them.<p>

Zareth arrived precisely forty five minutes before classes commenced and was somewhat surprised, not to see Leonard already sitting in his office and working, but a hint of a smile on his face, although he had learned from his short amount of time around humans that that didn't always necessarily mean something good; it could in fact mean the exact opposite.  
>He made his presence known by clearing his throat. To which Leonard looked up and the old man actually smiled.<p>

"Zareth! Sit down, I'm glad you're here, I wanted to talk to you about our leads for the generator group." To which Zareth nodded. "Yes, I know we need to discuss certain details on that topic, but I have come here to speak to you of a personal matter."

"Oh?" Leonard began. "How can I help you?" He said as he leaned forward on his chair.

"With all of the projects that I am currently working on. I have calculated that I am spending 58.25 hours in engineering alone. As I'm sure you are aware Commander, Under Star Fleet Academy rules and regulations section 42B; a cadet who has not yet graduated should not exceed twenty hours a week in any one course unless the cadet is in agreement and has signed a notarized form. I have not done as such, nor do I plan to as the time in which I've dedicated to engineering is hindering not only my health but affecting my wife as well.

Leonard's stare became very serious and for once, Zareth didn't know what to expect for him, needless to say that when he suddenly let out a laugh, Zareth was caught totally off guard by it.

"You would cite regulations to me." He said with some distaste but then he sighed and folded his hands together. "Alright, I'll give some of your projects to someone else. I only assign tasks to you Zareth because you never say no, and you're efficient; but I don't want to kill ya! and I certainly don't wanna come between you and wife, don't think I want an upset female coming after me!" Zareth raised a brow, the old man really had no idea...

"I thank you Commander." He said quickly as he stood from his seat. He made his way out and went immediately to the direction of the study lab. He had suggested that he and Sarah meet there instead of the programming lab where Denning was, just to be cautious.  
>When he walked in, the memories came to the forefront of his mind, it had been a long time since they had been there, they had a whole house in which to study in now, there was no need for them to come here anymore, but this room would always hold a special significance since this was they had first met.<p>

She was there, sitting in the same chair she had always occupied. When she heard him come in, she turned around, her eyes red and swollen. She stood up and looked at him expectantly.  
>"What happened?" She asked with concern.<br>He sighed and quickly came over to her, taking a seat and motioning for her to sit down as well.

"What happened is that I am at fault." He replied.

"What? Why?" She began. "Because.." He interrupted so he could finish. "He was under the impression that because I never rejected accepting a project that was given to me, that I was able to take on every single one of those tasks. Today however, I stated the number of hours I have been working on a weekly basis and cited regulations to which he conceded and is now going to remove some of my projects."

Sarah blinked, her face staying neutral, he thought that she would be pleased with the turn of events but she didn't seem all that convinced.  
>"What if he's lying Zareth?"<p>

"Sarah, if he is, he will be going against regulations."

"It can't be that simple.. I don't trust that old man Zareth!"

He took her hand in his and looked into her tired eyes. They were alone so he could bear everything to her. "I seek your forgiveness Sarah." He began.

"Zareth.. I think it is I who should beg forgiveness after what I've done.." She proceeded to tell Zareth of the conversation Denning had had with Leonard. She noticed as his eyebrows shot up when she got to the part about Leonard thinking everything had been a dream. Then when she was telling him about how he had thought her the most beautiful female alive, she could feel something akin to anger through the bond even though his face remained perfectly impassive. She hung her head, feeling guilt that maybe it was indeed her selfish desires to keep Zareth all to herself , to form a family.. that that had gotten them into this mess, and now it was a vicious circle of everyone blaming themselves for what had happened.

"I must rectify your statement Sarah" He said after a moment of silence. "For had I not approached the Commander before, had I not turned down the assignments when I knew it was more than I could handle, none of this would've happened."

"Zareth..." She said as she cradled his face in her hands. "Life happens, it's not always good, but whether it is or isn't, we will face it together. You must promise me that whenever obstacles come our way you will not hide them from me, and we will face them together. I hope that you're right and I'm wrong, that Leonard is a good guy deep down and that things will change, but I simply don't' trust him Zareth. I get a bad vibe about him, I know it's not logical, but it just is. Maybe he will let you cut back on your hours but what's not to say he won't try to sabotage you another way?"

"I promise Sarah, you have my word that we will face future challenges together. As to Leonard; If that does occur Sarah, we will deal with it at the appropriate time. Right now, let us celebrate the fact that we can move forward together."

She nodded. "I agree, I think after this ordeal we understand one another better, and we're stronger as a couple for it."  
>She leaned forward and kissed him, it was a chaste kiss that didn't give promise to anything greater for he could feel that she was feeling unwell.<p>

"Perhaps you should take leave of your classes today, you are not well." He said as he looked her over with concern.

"I can't, but I'll go home right after my last class instead of going to the holodeck lab."

"I will as well, and do not make consumption tonight; we'll dine out. We have not done as such in a while."  
>She smiled and gave him one last kiss before they headed out to their respective classes. He gave a small sigh as he felt through the bond that she was finally somewhat at ease.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

There was a new Vietnamese Restaurant that opened not too far from their home so Sarah and Zareth changed out of their uniforms and decided to walk there. The evening air and the sight of the setting sun made the journey quite romantic. The restaurant was running a grand opening special and among the items was a vegetarian version of Pho, after hearing that, Sarah searched no more. Zareth ordered the same and was intrigued at all the small dishes they had brought out.

Their Pho came with a salad but the salad looked more like the equivalent of coleslaw. It was mostly bok choy cabbage, carrots, diakon radish, and cilantro sliced paper thin in a sesame ginger dressing; Sarah absolutely loved it.  
>Then when their monstrous bowls of broth with noodles came out, there were more small dishes of cilantro, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, thai basil, and bean sprouts. Zareth offered Sarah some of the jalapenos but when she declined, he immediately dumped all of them into his bowl causing Sarah to almost choke.<br>"You never cease to amaze me Zareth." She said with a laugh.

He raised a brow, to him jalapenos were like candy, it was one of the plants they had growing in their back yard. "This is quite acceptable" He replied after he finished chewing. "I believe we will frequent this establishment often."

Sarah smiled. He had only ever said something like that when she cooked, but hardly ever heard him say so from a restaurant, it meant that he really did like it.

Once they were done, they took their time walking back to the house, enjoying their much needed leisure time together, and once they were near their property and away from public view, Sarah intertwined her hand in his while they continued to walk. His warmth followed by the tingling sensation from their shared bond caused her to smile; it felt good to smile, to be there with him like that after all they had been through.

By the time they reached the top of the stairs, they were kissing ardently, Zareth trying to peel off her clothes and Sarah attempting to do the same to him. She pressed against his lower half and he suddenly pulled away, "Wait.." He said. The tips of his ears suddenly became greener as did his cheeks.

"What is it?" Her emerald eyes were wide with alarm. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm fine I just.. " He sighed; he hated to tell her that he had to take a potty break right in the middle of their heated activities, but all that broth, and all those waters the waiter kept bringing to the table had done him in.  
>"If you wait for me in our bedroom for just 48 seconds, we can resume our activities."<br>She cocked her head to the side as realization finally dawned on her; she smirked playfully and suddenly pressed herself harder against him. "But Zareth.. I want you now.. What about this iron-tight Vulcan control of yours?" She whispered in his ear to which he closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Sarah.." He said in a very husky voice. "I have not made use of the rest room facility since I left the house early this morning."

"What?! Zareth! Why? I'm sure that's not healthy, even for a Vulcan!"

"My mind has been focused on other things I just.. didn't and now.. Please just wait a moment." He didn't even wait for her reply; he zoomed past the door and immediately she heard the sound of the bathroom door sliding open.

"Men!" She laughed out and then crashed on the bed. "Mmm.." The bed was so soft and she was so tired, she closed her eyes, just until Zareth was done.

When the door slid open again he emerged, completely taken by surprise with the sight before him. He did not know how it was possible that she could have fallen asleep so fast, he had not taken that long, granted it was longer than the 48 seconds he had estimated, but still; she was even lightly snoring!

A small smile graced his lips and he picked up her and moved her in a more comfortable position.  
>"Zareth.." She moaned sleepily. "so… sorry.." She mumbled and continued to sleep.<br>He brushed her soft hair out of her face and watched her for a moment. If Commander Leonard had been right about anything, it was that Sarah was indeed the most beautiful female, even as she slept.  
>He slowly closed the door and made his way downstairs to put on his robe and partake in some much needed meditation.<p> 


	40. Chapter 40

**Our wonderful characters are going on vacation!  
>The itinerary for their travels mentioned in this chapter are actual places that I researched. Wish I could go to these places on vacation... I estimate that their vacation should take about 2.. maybe 3 chapters, just an FYI there.<strong>

* * *

><p>For the most part, things had returned to a somewhat normal state.<p>

Zareth was always home before 1700 hours which allowed him and Sarah to do many things together. Sometimes they worked on the garden outside, or studied together, there were even times where he actually offered to help cook even though she knew he wasn't very fond of it, but that just made her appreciate the gesture all the more.

They were sitting on the balcony enjoying their dinner when Zareth mentioned: "Malek has invited himself over tomorrow evening, which means our usual guests will be over as well."

Sarah's eyes lit up. "That's great! I actually miss spending time with them!" She exclaimed happily.

"Apparently they're going to 'break the news' as to where we'll be going for our autumn break."  
>Sarah giggled. "If it were up to Zhraan, we'd be going to the north pole."<p>

He lifted a brow. "Perhaps it is good then that it is not up Zhraan. Malek tells me that the relationship between the Andorian and Narij is.. intensifying, his words were: "At the rate they're going, it is only a matter of time before they merge into one being."

Sarah smiled. "Well, they say that Andorians are extremely passionate, and that is what Narij has been looking for."  
>He nodded. "I guess we shall see for ourselves tomorrow then. I am sure that Malek is exaggerating, he is quite good at that."<p>

Sarah laughed. "Yes, I'm sure he is."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

On the following evening, they all arrived, including Denning.

Malek was carrying the usual hot pink bags but then went back to retrieve a pot of Israeli couscous and a couple of bags of freshly made pita bread with containers of hummus. T'Mari was carrying a large container of salad; it had sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, croutons, and an herb vinaigrette.

Denning had brought a couple bottles of wine but also a large container filled with what Sarah thought to be chicken in garlic sauce. "It's for me and Zhraan." he explained.

Sarah of course noticed that Zhraan never seemed to let go of Narij's hand, even as they were sitting at the table eating, Malek noticed this and grinned devilishly before saying to her low enough for only her to hear: "They have to hold hands at all times, otherwise Narij will fall into a frenzy and pull at his antennas like a mad woman, wait till you see how they go to the bathroom together, they think nobody notices."

Sarah thought he was exaggerating, there was no way, especially since she had always seemed like such a prude, and somewhat clueless when it came to intimate matters, but oddly enough; she noticed that Narij subtly got up and went down the hall, and it wasn't even thirty seconds later that Zhraan got up and did the same. He too disappeared into the bathroom.

She looked over at Zareth who in turn lifted a brow in her direction. Sarah's cheeks flushed pink as she tried to turn the focus away from them.  
>"So uh.. Denning, where is Sheila? I haven't seen her in a while."<p>

"She's working." He replied without looking up from his meal. "That's all she seems to do lately."

"She is coming with us for fall break isn't she?" Malek asked, but upon seeing the look on his face suddenly began animatedly talking about something else: "So, for our holiday, we're going to Cornwall, England. In particular a campsite called Broad Meadow to satisfy the irrational need our women seem to have with this camping business, we'll stay for two days at the campsite they have by the lake, then we shall take a shuttle craft to Glasgow, Scotland.

"Glasgow?" Denning said in surprise, "Why the heck do you wanna go there Malek?"

"Malek has recently discovered that men in Scotland wear kilts when they partake of hunting various fauna, and many other sports, this seems to hold particular interest to him." T'Mari explained.

"So you wanna see men wearing skirts? Well shoot Malek, you can just go down Orange Avenue and walk in any night club and see that."

Malek narrowed his eyes at him. "That is not what I mean Denning and you know it! Why is it so hard for everyone to understand that I appreciate various earthly customs? I am a cultured Vulcan!" He said with an air of sophistication.

Sarah smirked, "I think you just wanna go into the pubs and get wasted on chocolate stout."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "There's that sass I'm growing so fond of. Really Zareth, do you hear what your female just said to me?" He exclaimed hotly.

Zareth looked over at her, graced her with a small smile as she did nothing to hide openly laughing at him, she really had missed all this nonsense.  
>"She is right Malek" T'Mari chimed in. "Your charm may work on others, but certainly not with us."<p>

"No, no,no, T'Mari." Sarah interrupted, her eyes filled with mirth as she continued to look over and watch him openly scowl at her. "I absolutely believe that he wants to delve into the Scottish culture, which is why while we're off discovering the beautiful countryside; I suggest that he stay behind and learn how to play bagpipes while wearing traditional Scottish garb. It's the only way he can truly immerse himself."

"Wow, that's an excellent idea!" Denning chimed in.

"You too?" Malek shot at him. "Fine, everyone gang up on me."

Denning and Sarah were laughing but the Vulcans at the table suddenly perked their ears up. Sarah looked over at Zareth and lifted a brow when she saw that his cheeks and ears took on a greenish hue. She knew then that they had probably heard something coming from the bathroom, as if to confirm this; Malek's malicious grin returned immediately.

"I think one of you should go check on Mr. and Mrs. Blue, make sure they haven't swallowed each other." Zareth immediately began to stand.  
>"Perhaps it would be wise to make sure..." but just then, they suddenly came back to the table, Zhraan looked the same as ever, if maybe a bit perkier but Narij looked flushed and then there was the fact that her shirt was inside out, Sarah, and Denning tried to stifle their laughter, everyone else was just openly staring at them.<p>

Narij looked around at them. "What? Can't people go to the bathroom these days?"

"They absolutely can!" Malek said enthusiastically. "T'Mari, please join me. I require that you hold my hand while I drop off the kiddies in the ceramic pool."

"Wow, I think I just lost my appetite." Denning said as he pushed away his plate.

"What?" Malek exclaimed. "They get to play find the blue goose, but I say something and suddenly everyone jumps on me."

Denning reached over and picked up Malek's wine glass, took a long sniff, and then placed it back in front of him. "No trace of chocolate, that really is just him talking."

"You don't understand Malek!" Narij said in her high pitched voice as she folded her arms in front of her, for the first time since she arrived, she wasn't making physical contact with the Andorian. It was amusing to hear her when she was upset. Sarah could understand why Malek would provoke her purposely at times; it reminded her of the angry chipmunk cartoons she use to watch as a child.

"The Andorian way is different, I'm just trying to be a good mate to Zhraan, why is that so difficult for people to understand?"

Malek looked like he was going to retort, and that's when  
>Sarah, who was still trying to stifle her laughter, got up with her plate and glass in hand, moving to put them away.<br>"Alright, alright, let's settle down. So what do we have to do to finalize our vacation? I for one feel like I really need one."

"Here,here!" Denning said as he raised his glass and drank some wine.

"I believe we are all in need of recreational activity." T'Mari agreed.

"Okay, I'm going to make the arrangements right now." Malek said as he pulled out his computer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Are we all excited?!" Malek exclaimed as they had finally arrived at the campsite, they had rented a spacious hover car once they had arrived in England that accommodated all of them plus their camping supplies.

"I have to admit, it's quite beautiful." Sarah said as she took in the view.

"I don't believe I have ever seen so much greenery in one place." Zhraan said in amazement, the air it smells so different."  
>Denning pat him on the back and replied: "That's fresh air Zhraan, it smells like that."<p>

"Shall we unload our equipment then? " Zareth suggested, he wanted everyone to pick out the area where they would place their tents so he could in turn place his and Sarah's furthest away…. He had his logical reasoning for it.

"See? Even Zareth can't wait to get started!" Malek exclaimed again. "Blue, once we're done here, us men are gonna go fishing, bet you've never done that before!"

His antenna quirked before he looked over at Narij. "It's ok baby, you can go fishing with the guys, it'll be fun. We're going to go canoe riding, we won't be that far." She, Sarah and T'Mari had been looking at her PADD and saw that the campsite offered canoe riding, as well as zip lining, and a from of white water rafting.

It wasn't long before they were all occupied in setting up their tents, Sarah noting that Zareth had dragged their tent to the very corner of the lot. "Any particular reason why we're all the way out here?" She asked with a mischievous look in her eyes. She already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from him. She saw the tips of his ears turn green. "It would not be prudent for others to inadvertently hear our activities during the course of the night."

"Activities?" She teased. "You mean like our playing Kal-toh together? How would that bother anyone?"  
>She gave him another grin, feeling very giddy about her teasing, until he lifted his hand and gently caressed her lips with a light brush of his fingertips. The act was so simple, so innocent, but she had instantly felt a spark of desire there at her lips, and travel down to her core.<br>He lifted a brow when she groaned with need. "That activity." He said before returning to hammering the posts on the ground.

Zareth wasn't all that pleased with the concept of fishing, he did not see the logic of harming the fish with sharp hooks just to release them again. He himself did not plan to actually partake in the process, but he would sit and observe while enjoying the camaraderie between his brother and friends.  
>They had stopped by a small shop where they were renting the fishing poles and lures, some of them had feathers, others were extremely bright and shiny, Malek chose the shiny one of course while Denning went for the one with red and orange feathers, Zhraan however went with live bait which in this case was worms.<p>

"You plan on eating the fish Blue? Because if you are then I'll just hand them to you instead of releasing them." Malek said to which Zhraan nodded. "Indeed, and will share with Denning if he is willing."  
>"That's very kind of you Zhraan, if I catch any, I will share with you as well."<p>

The journey to the pier was in fact a breath taking sight. They traveled a small trail amongst giant green pine trees, the trail ending at the pier that gave way to a vast and beautiful lake.  
>On the far right corner the area seemed to be reserved for people renting canoes. Some were yellow, others red, and they all had numbers them.<p>

"You see the girls yet?" Denning asked.

"Yes" Zhraan replied. "They're on canoe number 9, they've just got on."

"Yeah, they'll probably make their way over here first thing; those women can't stay away from us… Can't say that I blame them either." Malek said smugly as he adjusted his sunglasses, it was the first time Zareth had seen him take off the usual leathers he wore when he wasn't in uniform. Instead he just wore a white long sleeved shirt, grey pants, and his usual boots.  
>Sarah had insisted that he himself wear his cargo shorts along with his green long sleeved shirt, saying that it looked cute on him. He did not think as much but it obviously pleased her so he did.<p>

"Whoa! Here it comes! Get your net ready blue, dinner is coming right up!" Malek said as he furiously reeled in the fish.  
>"Slow down Malek, you're likely to break the thing!" Denning warned.<p>

"It's a big one!" Malek exclaimed. "And…. "

Zhraan's brows furrowed together as he looked at the catch that was brought up and then back over at Malek. "I'm sorry to inform you Malek; I have no intention of eating a decomposed boot for dinner."

Denning broke out in hearty laughter and slapped Malek on the back. "Big catch man! No doubt about it!"

"Humans are disgusting! Why must they add filth to this beautiful lake?" Malek said bitterly as he released the boot from the hook.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, "Denning chided, "Let's blame the humans for everything now."

"Whooo hooooo!" Came a call. It was the women paddling their canoe near the pier. "Wow Malek!" Sarah said as they came around; let's see what you got there!"  
>He tried to dive to remove the boot from sight but Denning beat him to it and lifted it up in the air for all of them to see. Narij and Sarah immediately broke out in laughter, Narij in particular falling over to the side and clutching her stomach she was laughing so hard.<p>

"Yeah, go on and laugh." Malek said as he calmly inserted his lure back on the hook. "We've only just begun! You'll see."

"That's the spirit Malek!" Narij cheered. "You go on cleaning out the trash from the bottom of the lake, we're rooting for you!"  
>They were laughing yet again, he couldn't believe it! Even T'Mari had a small smile on her face as she looked at him.<p>

"What? You guys are just gonna stay there all day? Don't you have a lake to canoe in?" He retorted.

"We were going to do that, but this seems much more entertaining." Sarah replied.  
>"Zareth!, tell your female to leave us men alone!" Malek retorted.<p>

"Whatever for? I personally rather enjoy having them near us." He replied with his neutral expression, but as he looked over at Sarah, she saw the playfulness in his eyes.  
>"I quite agree." Zhraan added as he winked at Narij.<p>

"It's ok, we're gonna go towards the end of the pier, we saw some guys there that actually seem to know what they're doing." Narij said as T'Mari and Sarah began to paddle the canoe once again.

"Guys? What guys?" Zhraan started as he got up.

"It's ok Zhraan." Denning said "Look over there." He pointed towards the end of the pier where the 'guys' Narij had been talking about were actually a pair of kids, they couldn't be more than 13 years of age, but apparently they had been doing pretty well so far. They could see one of them was taking a sizable fish off his hook and placing it into a white bucket.

"What?! Those pipsqueaks actually caught something?" Malek exclaimed before casting his line out in the water again with renewed fervor. "We'll catch something, you wait and see! I will bring home dinner for you guys!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, what did you guys end up catching?" The women asked once the men made their way back to the campsite. Denning was grinning from ear to ear when he lifted three sizable looking trout. "Actually, Zhraan caught two, and I caught one."

"Really?" Narij said as came over and hugged Zhraan; she then looked over at Malek, "What about you Malek? What did you catch? Other than the boot that is."

He grumbled before walking away, something about collecting firewood, and mindless human females.

"We actually did some gathering of our own." Sarah smiled as she pulled out a basket that was covered with a cloth, she unveiled it reveal a wide variety of mushrooms.

"I have had training on Earth's fungi; I was very accurate in gathering the ones that are appropriate for consumption." T'Mari added.  
>Zareth raised a brow. "I am indeed impressed; I would not think to have come across something like that here."<p>

"Indeed." Sarah said with a smile. "This is turning out to be quite a lovely vacation if I do say so myself!"

**Just the beginning; more adventures to come…..**


	41. Chapter 41

**The suggestion for having our dear crew end up in a Renaissance Festival was given to me by ByaSouthernLady. Thanks for your ongoing support with my stories!  
><strong>**Also wanna give a shout out to all of you who leave me those wonderful reviews!**

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><p><strong><strong>Night time came upon them and after they had finished eating dinner, Sarah looked upon her satchel which contained the ingredients to make smores in a longing fashion. Zareth took note of this and discreetly walked over to where it was, picked it up and then came over to her and helped her stand from the log she was sitting on.

"So if you all will excuse us, I think that Sarah and I are going to retire for the night."

"WHAT?!" Malek exclaimed. "I thought we were gonna sit around and tell ghost stories! Sing songs, have a merry time and all that nonsense!And there's not need to pretend Zareth, everyone knows that neither one of you has plans to go straight to sleep! If you had moved the tent any further away from us, you'd be sleeping in the lake!"

Zhraan's antenna's quirked up as he held Narij closer to him. "Perhaps we should go to our tent as well." he began as he looked at her with longing.

"I can't believe you guys! Where's your spirit of fun and adventure?!" Malek cried out.

"We left it back in our tents." Sarah replied. "Come on Zareth; Goodnight everyone!" She said as she took hold of his hand and they walked away from the group.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.." Malek pouted and then looked up when he saw Zhraan and Narij leaving as well. "Oh come on! I thought we were gonna play Kal-toh Blue!"

"Perhaps tomorrow evening; I really am excessively tired."

"Of not being able to jump Narij for the past five minutes." He mumbled as they too walked away.

"Perhaps we should follow their example?" T'Mari said raising a knowing brow.  
>Malek smirked in turn and immediately stood up. "Fine; I give in. Let's all go rock the tents!" He looked around and then looked back at her. "Where's Denning?"<p>

"He received a call approximately ten minutes ago. He's already in his tent." She said with a smirk forming on her face. "And I think you should know that I brought along an item that I believe will peak your interest." She dug into her bag and pulled out a brown bottle, immediately Malek's eyes grew wide.

"My favorite chocolate liqueur! My dear T'Mari, it is no wonder that you are my life mate!"

She got up with the bottle and walked towards their tent, Malek following close behind.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Malek woke to the sound of giggling and then Sarah shouting at the top of her voice just outside his tent: "RISE AND SHINE SLEEPING BEAUTY!"

"Ugh..." He ground out as he suddenly sat up. To his surprise, T'Mari was still asleep as well and the empty bottle of chocolate liqueur they had both consumed was still at her side.

"Five more minutes!" He yelled back as he lay down on his sleeping bag. He closed his eyes to stop the spinning sensation when he heard Zareth speaking now. "I assume this means we may have to go to the festival ourselves."

"I'm so excited! Narij said enthusiastically. "I've never seen a joust before!"  
>Malek's ears twitched and his eyes snapped open, he quickly crawled over to T'Mari who mumbled in turn. "No more Malek; I want to rest."<p>

"T'Mari! Wake up! We're going to a festival!"

It had been Denning who had discovered that the campsite was hosting a Renaissance festival in Williams Park. It was only two miles away from their current location so in an effort to enjoy the morning scenery, they all went walking.  
>Sarah looked up at Malek with a devilish grin. "So uh.. Malek, you're looking pretty tired! Rough night?!" She said in a little too loudly. He in turn closed his eyes and sighed. "Must you really be shouting? I'm right here for goodness sake!"<p>

"WHAT WAS THAT SARAH?!" Narij shouted from his other side, smirking in turn. "I COULDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU SAID, SAY IT AGAIN!"

"I SAID!" Sarah began again.

"ENOUGH! You guys need to stop right now!" Malek said in an exasperated manner.

Sarah blinked, "What? We're just trying to have a normal conversation." She looked over at Zareth. "My dear, I believe that your brother might be ill."  
>"You realize this now?" He said as he raised a brow at his direction.<p>

"Alright, alright, fun time at my expense is over now!" He said as he started speed walking ahead of the group.

"Oh come on Malek!" She cried out after him, but he kept walking ahead without turning back.

"It is alright, just let him be for now. I have a feeling that once we get to our destination and see's the festivities, his normal mood will return." T'Mari stated, she wasn't looking so hot herself but Sarah didn't say anything.  
>It had been a good thing that Sarah had cut off Zareth from the smores after having five otherwise he might've woken up in the same state as them. They hadn't gone to sleep until about two hours after they had gone into their tent and Zareth had woken her up twice during the night and had left her exhausted each time and as a result was sporting several lovebites her turtleneck currently hid from view so in reality she should've been groggy herself, but she felt more alive than ever.<br>She smiled as she looked over at him, no one would ever think him capable of such animal lust given the way he comported and carried himself in that stoic-logical manner, it always gave her a thrill when she thought about it. He looked up at her and lifted a brow having picked up hints of what she was thinking via their bond. She smiled again and forced herself to stop thinking about it, otherwise he might find some excuse to detour away from the group.

They watched as they got closer to the gates how Malek jogged over to where a group of people were gathered around. In the center was a wooden platform and a man dressed in a fine burgundy robe, a beret with a large blue and white feather sticking out on the side, black velvet pants and gold squared toed shoes that had a bit of a large heel was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back thinking aloud for everyone to hear.

"I just don't know what to do!" He said. "The king and the queen of the festival have gone missing! If they're not here then.. then.. I must cancel the event!" He said with exaggerated enthusiasm, the crowd in turn booed his declaration and so he turned to them.

"Then what do you all suggest I do? The festival cannot go on without a King and a Queen unless..." He then turned his view to the audience. "Unless a pair of you volunteers for the job!" He said as if he had just come up with the best idea ever, even pointing his finger up to the sky. Sarah had to hand it to him, he was a pretty good actor. Suddenly the crowd went wild. Couples raising their hands enthusiastically yelling: "Me! Me! Pick us my lord!"

The man in burgundy scanned the audience until his eyes fell upon Sarah, Zareth noticed straight away and despite himself his eyes narrowed at the man.

"My dear in the teal turtleneck!" He cried as he pointed her out. "Won't you join me up on stage?"  
>The audience clapped and cheered as she made her way up the stairs, Zareth immediately folding his arms in front of him and looking ahead. His looks betrayed nothing, but his posture said everything as Sarah looked at him from the stage.<p>

"My dear!" The older man exclaimed. "What thou'est be your name?"

"Sarah, Sarah Williams."

"Sarah! Such a becoming name for a Queen! Well, now we just have to find our..."

"Wait!" She began. "I will only agree to be Queen if my husband Zareth is chosen as my king, otherwise you will need to choose someone else." She said as she looked across the crowd and at him with a large smile. She noticed that he had unfolded his arms and was looking directly back at her.

There was mumbling coming from the crowd and the sound of Malek yelling: "Go Zareth! Off with their heads!" and she also heard what she thought was Denning whistling.

"A husband! Of course you would have a husband! A Lady as beautiful as you! Bring thou husband on stage my dear!" Sarah immediately scrambled down the steps where Malek was already pushing Zareth towards her with a huge grin plastered on his face. "Go on your highness!" He joked.  
>When Zareth joined Sarah on stage the crowd cheered once again, he seemed uneasy with the attention but once Sarah smiled towards him he eased somewhat. The older man then turned to him. "And what is the name of the man so privileged to have this woman as his queen?"<p>

"I am Zareth of Vulcan."

"Wonderful!" The man cried he then turned to the audience and presented them: "I give you the King and the Queen of the festival!"

The crowd erupted and out of nowhere, a line of uniformed guards appeared one by one circling the stage, Sarah broke out in laughter while Zareth simply raised a brow.

"Now! You shall follow the guards and they shall escort you to your quarters hence! You shall change into appropriate royal attire! Remember! As king and queen you must make your royal rounds in all the kiosks and greet the towns people, and most importantly; be present at the great royal hall for the evening meal before the joust! Now! Farewell my king and queen! You have saved the festival!"

Zareth and Sarah both followed the guards off the stage, sending glances over at their friends. Narij was anxiously jumping up and down while Malek was grinning from ear to ear as he waved goodbye and did a mock curtsey, somehow Zareth knew that he would never hear the end of it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They were escorted to a small building with a balcony decorated with many bright colored flowers, a purple and gold carpet led them inside to where they were directed into a room.

"Your highness' you have around five minutes to get settled and tell the computer to change you into the royal king and queen attire; off you go then!"  
>As soon as the door closed behind him, Sarah immediately wrapped her arms around Zareth's neck and kissed him so forcefully that he ended up having to lean against the wall in order not to fall over as she clung to him.<br>"Oh Zareth." She moaned as she started unbuttoning his plaid shirt. "Just the thought of you being my King… I need you right now!"  
>He returned her kisses just as forcefully as his hands worked their way up her shirt. "My Sarah, It pleased me greatly when you said on stage that you would only be my Queen; I knew they would choose you being as you are so beautiful.." He was still working on getting her shirt off when there was a sudden quick knock and the same old man barged in. "We need to... oh! no,no,no,no my sires! Now is not the time to be making little prince and princesses, we must leave immediately and make our way to the kiosks, your presence is required!"<p>

He left the room just as quickly as he had come in, leaving Zareth and Sarah breathing hard and looking rather embarrassed. Sarah sighed as she gave Zareth a quick kiss and then let go of him.

"Computer, change me to the Queen's royal attire."

When they left the small building, they were being led by four very tall guards, the rest of them walked behind them; it really looked like some kind of parade.

The computer had adorned Sarah with a Wine colored dress; she wore a hoopskirt as underpinnings. She was more than relieved to see that it came with a ruffled goffered collar so that too hid Zareth's marks. There was gold embroidery on her sleeves where again the ends were ruffled. The cuffs of her gloves were also embroidered in gold and her shoes which were gold square toed shoes were very comfortable so walking the distance to all the kiosks wouldn't be a problem. She wore a gold and silver headdress covered in sparkling gemstones, and very light makeup, but the truth was that she didn't need it for Zareth had never seen her look more beautiful. Even as they walked he couldn't seem to stop looking at her.

"Zareth.. You're going to trip or fall if you don't watch where you're going." She joked as her cheeks flushed pink.

"It would be worth it." He replied as he continued to look at her.  
>He himself was wearing a gold tunic, and over this a cloak open at the chest, having long sleeves, which were slit up for the arms to go through; the surcoat, was trimmed with ermine in front, and had the appearance of a fur shawl. He had on long white hose, and shoes similar in shape to high slippers that were also in gold as Sarah's were. Most importantly of course, he wore a rather large jewel encrusted gold crown that symbolized his status of King.<p>

_I couldn't help but notice that you hardly looked at me… _He said via their bond for there were far too many people around them as they waved or nodded towards the towns people who bowed and curtsied before them.

_because… If I did, I might just take you here in the middle of the park, it would be unbecoming of us royal folk to comport in such a manner. The crown is a good look on you, we should invest in purchasing one while we're here. _He raised a brow at her response and cleared the frog in his throat.

They arrived at yet another kiosk to greet the owner when suddenly Malek and the gang rounded the corner. As soon as Malek feasted his eyes on them, (particularly Zareth) He began laughing so hard that he literally fell over trying to desperately catch his breath.

"Look no more everyone! I have found the Keebler elf!" He was about to place his arm on his shoulder when one of the guards slid in front of him and blocked him.  
>"Townspeople are not permitted to touch his highness the King or his Queen!" The guard exclaimed.<p>

"Calm down, The King is my brother which…. Makes me the Prince! Bow down to me at once!" Malek exclaimed to the guard, but the guard simply continued to look at him, clearly he was not amused.

"Anyways, we'll catch you later your Keeblerness, I saw a couple of people walking around with kettle corn and I don't want to miss out on that.  
>"Oooo get me a bag!" Sarah waved at him, Narij and T'Mari were feeling the material of her dress and talking about it, why hadn't the guards said anything to them? He wondered. Women; they always get away with everything!<p>

"Does the Queen wish to acquire kettle corn?" Another one of the guards asked.  
>She blinked, "Well yes! And something to drink too! Walking around in this huge dress is making me thirsty!"<p>

The guard at the very front sounded his trumpet and immediately they began walking again.  
>"Your highness, if you'll just follow us; we'll take you to the kettle corn kiosk and remedy your situation immediately."<p>

She smiled as she looked up at Zareth. "This might not turn out to be so bad after all."

**More to come :-)  
><strong>


	42. Chapter 42

**Thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story/left reviews; means a lot!**

**Been working on other projects but rest assured I haven't forgotten this story, and so, let the festivities continue!**

**Also want to point out that this chapter mentions the "Professional Insulter"* (AKA Christopher, the professional insulter; obviously don't own it.) Add that same title to google, and read all about it, watch the youtube bit and you'll understand what Malek has done in this chapter :-)**

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><p>Sarah and Zareth were at the royal feast. It was a special tent that only VIP persons had access to. They were currently sitting in a very long table that looked to be a million years old, and it appeared as if it weighed a ton.<p>

The server had asked her what she had wanted to drink aside from grog, she hadn't been able to not laugh at that, even more so when they brought out the main course which was a plate with a little rotisserie cooked bird was placed right in the center on top of what seemed to be pureed potatoes.  
>She had looked at her plate and then back up at Zareth with a smile. "You still have some kettle corn left over?"<br>He lifted the bag that was halfway full. "It seems people of the past relied heavily on meats and carbohydrates."

"They probably needed it Zareth, their only mode of transportation were their feet if they couldn't afford to have a horse or a carriage."

"I do not find that to be a valid argument Sarah for one could be heavily involved in physical activity and still thrive with a diet not consistent of animal flesh or it's byproduct."

She lifted a mischievous brow. "I don't know Zareth, this seems like a topic of discussion we should debate about in private."

He was about to retort but then he blinked and looked over at her and understood she had something else entirely in mind.

"Yes, I am very amendable to that; but I do not know when we will have an opportunity." He said as he caressed her fingers under the table.

One of the servers came to check up on Sarah and Zareth. Upon seeing that neither one of them had touched their meal, he stood beside her with his hands placed behind his back.

"Does my Queen and her King not have an appetite this evening? It is a shame for a woman of such beauty should keep her strength up."

She looked up and smiled at him, his cheeks growing red in the process. Zareth took note of this and squeezed her hand a little more snuggly under the table.

"I'm sure that this is all very delicious, and we certainly appreciate all the hard work the staff put forth to bring about this meal but Zareth.. er... the King and I do not consume meat products.

He smiled in turn. "Ye be grass grazers! Do not worry my Queen, I shall return with something suitable; anything for my Queen indeed." He said as he picked up their plates and disappeared to the back.

When he left, Zareth leaned towards her and whispered. "I do not like the way he was observing you, I noticed the way his pupils dilated when he spoke, and he finds you aesthetically pleasing."

She smirked in turn. "I think that just means that you will have to keep me close to you at all times."  
>He sighed loudly, and then looked around at all the people crammed in the tent, what he wouldn't give for an hour of privacy right now.<p>

Suddenly, the server appeared and placed two large bread bowls filled with some kind of stew and two wooden spoons. Sarah leaned forward and took a deep breath, it smelled quite enticing.

"Vegetable stew, especially for the Queen." He said with a smile as he looked into her eyes. "Is there anything else I can get for you my lovely Queen?"

She smiled in turn. "I thank you very much, by the way; I haven't formally introduced you to my husband have I?" She said as she placed her arm around Zareth. Normally Zareth wasn't comfortable with them doing such things in public but in this particular instance, he could not be more pleased as he saw the smile drop from the servers face.

The young man cleared his throat and stuttered slightly, Zareth noticed that his eyes strayed towards her left hand and upon seeing the ring, his cheeks flushed. Zareth suddenly felt very content in the fact that humans had such symbolic traditions.

"It.. tis a pleasure, indeed. If you will excuse me, I am needed in the kitchens now." and that was the last they saw of the server.

Once dinner was over, they were led towards the jousting arena, where they climbed up to a special tower and sat on the balcony overlooking the bleachers and the field. They could see people already starting to take their seats. Sarah pointed towards the crowd.

"Look, there's Malek! He's the one wearing the green court jester hat!" Zareth looked over to where she was pointing and just like she said, he was making his way towards the bleachers with the others while wearing that ridiculous thing on top of his head that resembled the tentacles of an octopus, although he saw something else that Sarah did not see for around his neck was a wooden sign that read:

**"I outwitted the professional Insulter**"*

He wasn't really sure what that meant but he was 98.8% sure that it had caused a scene. To prove this point further, he saw a couple of people he had never seen before high five him as he passed, one of them was saying something to him as they shook hands, and it caused Malek to laugh out loud. He replied to the man loud enough that he picked up what he said: "I'm going to hold you to that! You can buy me a drink after the joust!"

"It seems they are enjoying themselves." Zareth said with a raised brow.

Sarah smiled in turn. "I have enjoyed the day as well, but I'll enjoy it even more when we return to our tent." She said as she intertwined her hand in his.

"I have no objections to that whatsoever." He replied as he looked towards the bleachers again. This time he could see Zhraan talking to Denning, his hand holding Narij's as she was trying to pull something out of her bag with the one free hand. He finally seemed to 'get a clue' as Sarah would say, and let go of her, but once she put the bag down again, his hand was immediately over hers again.  
>Malek turned and made a comment that had obviously annoyed Narij for he could see her angry little face turn red as she yelled over at him. He could not make out what she said for the pitch of her voice was hard to pick up over the crowd but whatever it was, it had made Malek laugh even more in turn.<p>

He looked towards Sarah and saw that she was watching the men in armor mount their horses. One of them had an orange jousting lance while the other had a green one.  
>Once they were ready, the trumpets sounded and the knights were introduced.<p>

"To the left we have the green knight, and to the right we have the orange. We are fortunate this evening to have present in the balcony; the King and Queen of the festival, let's give them a round of applause for having been such good sports throughout the day!"

Zareth could see that Malek looked up and pointed towards him while he and Denning laughed, no doubt having made another 'Keebler Elf' comment.

The trumpets sounded again and the knights took their places on the opposite sides of the arena. The crowd was cheering wildly and suddenly a horn blew and they were off galloping. While this was happening, a guard walked into the balcony and bowed towards Zareth before he kneeled down. "My king, the staff would like me to inquire whether you would be interested in challenging the winner of the joust."

Sarah looked up when she heard that, fear and concern written on her face. "Absolutely not! Zareth has never done anything like that before and he would get hurt!"

But what Sarah didn't know was that while he lived on Vulcan, he had participated in an activity called Y'Shiva. Where one would mount a creature very much like a horse and try to do things such as shoot arrows, and dislodge other riders during competition except that instead of using a lance, they used a Lipau.

"If you win, you and your wife will be given credits for up five people to dine at the lucrative: "Palace Resort Restaurant" Just ten minutes away from the park."  
>Zareth raised a brow and replied: "Make it for seven people and I shall do it."<p>

The guard bowed. "I shall see if they will accept Sir."

When he left, Sarah turned to him. "Zareth! What was that just now? Tell me how you climbing on a horse and getting lanced to death is logical!"  
>He raised a brow but then continued to watch the joust, in particular watching for strengths and weaknesses in the riders.<p>

"Sarah, believe me when I say;" He began, still watching the joust as he spoke. "I would not have replied as I did to the guard if I did not think I had more than a 90% chance of succeeding."

She blinked. "I don't know Zareth..."

"If I win Sarah." He began. "As a personal reward from you, I require that you... when we get back home from vacation"

He never vocally finished stating what he wanted, for a mental image sent to her via their bond was the best way to express what he desired from her. He watched with an upturn of his lips as her cheeks became red and her eyes grew wide.

"You're terrible Zareth!" She tried to say in all seriousness but couldn't help laughing.

"Do you accept?" He asked immediately.

She looked at him in awe. "You're serious!"  
>He nodded. "Of course."<p>

"But.."

The guard then came back in and nodded towards them. "The staff has accepted. Credits for up to seven people if you win the joust your highness."

Zareth looked over at Sarah and she looked over at the men clashing each other with lances and then looked back at Zareth. Despite the fact that she was scared out of her mind that something would happen to him, he seemed pretty confident that he could accomplish this task and she certainly didn't want to stop him from doing something he seemed so eager to do. She also knew that even though it wasn't 'logical', he had an inkling to prove himself strong and able. Who said that Vulcan's weren't capable of macho bravado in their own twisted way?

So with some reluctance, she ended up shaking her head.  
>"I accept; go get saddled up then." She said, forcing herself to smile without her nervousness showing.<p>

He stood up and raised two fingers towards her, she in turn rubbed two fingers against his and looked deep into his eyes and whispered to him via their bond. "Be careful".

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ladie's and Lords! The joust does not end here! For approaching the arena to fight the winner of the last joust is none other than the King Zareth himself!"

As he was introduced; Zareth went galloping towards the arena wearing a gold suit of armor. Sarah felt somewhat better when she saw his excellent riding form, it almost seemed to her as if he had done this sort of thing before, but it still didn't stop her knees from trembling when she saw them take their places.

She looked down towards the audience and saw the rest of the gang standing on their feet clapping; Denning placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled so loudly that even she could hear it. Malek himself was jumping up and down, waving his jester hat in the air.

All too soon she heard the sound of the horn and they took off.  
>Sarah's heart was beating wildly in her chest, even more so when she saw that Zareth was coming close to his opponent and he hadn't even stuck his lance out yet.<p>

She was squeezing the side of her chair so hard that she practically had ripped out the gold fabric covering it.

"Come on Zareth!" She practically cried when they were only mere feet away from each other. The entire crowd was on its feet as the cheers crescendo'ed into a frenzy and then Zareth suddenly brought out the lance and positioned it to the very center and struck the knight's armor, in turn blocking his attack and misbalancing the knight thus causing him to fall off his horse.

Sarah realized when she took in a deep breath that she had not even been breathing, tears rolled down her cheeks when she realized that that had almost been too easy as Zareth rode around. The crowd cheering even louder as he was announced the winner.

She let out a joyous cry, and ran from the balcony, down the steps, and out into the arena where upon Zareth removing his helmet, she practically knocked him over as she jumped and latched onto him, giving him the biggest, most passionate kiss. Not once giving thought to the fact that there were over 1000 people watching their public display.

She looked up at him with her kiss swollen lips and smiled. "You have proven yourself valiant and able my King."


	43. Chapter 43

**I'm sorry to say that the vacation comes to end after this chapter, but to make up for it; it's extra longer than usual!**

**I also wanted to give a shout out to** **Chyaraskiss. I know you inquired many chapters ago why you never really read anything about Sarah's family, and I had replied that you don't really find out until later in the story. You'll start to see some of that start to unfold in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>That evening they all ate at the palace resort, an unexpected and delightful treat that Malek especially made the most of.<br>Narij narrowed her eyes as she watched the waiter deliver an enormous plate of food in front of him.

"Thank you my good sir!" He said as rubbed his hands together.  
>Denning looked around at all of them, everyone was eyeing the massive plate except for Sarah and Zareth who seemed to be off in their own little world whispering to one another.<p>

"Where's our food?" Narij said hotly. "Did you close down the kitchen with that mammoth order Malek?"

"Calm down little chipmunk, your acorns should be here in a minute. I see two waiters coming over with plates in their hands."  
>But when they turned and dropped off the food at another table, Narij grabbed her fork and pulled a piece of potato from his plate and immediately placed it in her mouth.<p>

"Hey!" Malek exclaimed, but just as he did, Denning and Zhraan dove in from the other side and grabbed some potato too.

"Vultures!" He exclaimed as he covered his food with his arms.

Denning smiled as he chewed. "Sorry man, we're all hungry."

Just then, three waiters appeared holding their food.  
>"Ok, who's got the 32oz steak and iceberg wedge salad with the works?"<p>

Zhraan raised his hand and Malek looked over at the equally large plate.  
>"Dang Blue, did you order the entire cow?"<p>

"Another 32 oz steak, this one has the loaded baked potato." The waiter said as he placed it in front of Denning.

Malek scoffed. "And you guys make fun of me!"  
>He then watched and saw that both Sarah and Zarath had ordered the same thing. It looked to be eggplant parmesan with a side of garlic bread.<br>"Hey love birds! If you guys could just make an effort to talk to others for just a few minutes; we exist too you know."

"Sorry guys we were just.." Sarah looked at the food with surprise. "When did the food get here?"

Malek pressed his lips together hard so that it formed a line to keep from laughing. "You see that? Sarah witnessed Zareth jousting and now her brain has turned to mush."  
>Sarah blushed as she looked over at Zareth, who almost seemed to have a smug look on his face. She knew what it meant too, she'd be lucky if she'd get three hours of sleep tonight.<br>"I'm sorry, so tell me what happened; what did you guys do at the festival?"

It seemed that from the moment T'Mari and the others started explaining what had happened during their day, Sarah couldn't stop laughing, especially when they related to her what had happened to the professional insulter. "The man looked as if he was ready to tear Malek a new one. I'm almost positive that the only reason he didn't even bother to try was because he thought Malek was some crazy Romulan would beat him up if he even tried."

Malek was smirking in turn."If he can't take the heat of his own flames, he should step out of the kitchen entirely. I think it served him right after saying all those cruel things to those people."

"But I think that's part of the human sense of fun Malek." Zhraan said, actually pulling away from his meal for a second. "A lot of them seemed to be enjoying it."

"Yeah, at the expense of some unsuspecting person who paid good credits to have a good time, not get made fun of."

"But you make fun of people all the time." Narij said.

"There's a difference, he wasn't being funny, he was being cruel."

Denning nodded. "I agree with that, you gave him what he deserved."

The waiter came by again holding his PADD as he smiled at them. "Anybody care for dessert?" Denning raised his hands as if defeated. "Not for me, I'm stuffed!"  
>"I'll take yours then shall?" Zhraan said as he placed two orders. "I don't know where he puts it! You just ate a cow Blue."<p>

His antenna quirked, "32 ounces is not a cow the last time I checked."

"Anybody else want dessert?"  
>Zareth cleared his throat and waved the waiter over. He pointed towards the chocolate molten lava cake. He tried to whisper that he wanted it to go, but Malek had crossed over T'Mari and was practically hovering over Sarah to peek at what he was doing.<br>He smirked over at Sarah. "Looks like it's gonna be a rough night for you sweetheart!" He said loud enough so that Zareth raised what he swore was an annoyed brow at him.

"Oh what the hell, I'll get one of those to go too. Brace yourself T'Mari; you're not getting any sleep tonight!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

By the time everyone was awake and ready to go the following day, it was already late in the afternoon. Everything was packed and they were ready to head out to Scotland. Malek had booked rooms at a hotel that was right on the highland moors. The views were absolutely breath taking, and while Sarah was quite fond of camping, it was nice to finally be in an air conditioned environment with separate rooms where she and Zareth could have more privacy, which they needed. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but this vacation seemed to bring out the inner beast in Zareth, and thanks to the lava cake they had consumed the night before, she again had to wear a turtleneck.

The truth however was that she wouldn't have it any other way. There was something incredibly erotic when you considered that he was always in complete control of himself in public but then when they were alone, he would lavish her with love, affection, and incredible passion that always seemed to bring her to heights no human could ever deliver.

Zareth was putting their things away when he noticed she was looking out the window contemplating these thoughts. He came around and gently tugged on the neck of her sweater and softly traced his fingers on the bite marks he had left there.  
>"Does it hurt you?"<p>

She turned to him and smiled. "No, but I don't think it would be appropriate for others to see it, that's why I have it covered."  
>He sighed as he removed his fingers from her neck. "I should've stopped myself; I should hav.."<br>She silenced him by kissing him ardently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes.

"I want you know Zareth that I love it when you do those things, and I would be very displeased if you stopped." She smiled up at him. "Don't worry so much about it; I can handle it."

He gave her a small upturn of his lips. "You are an extraordinary human specimen."  
>She laughed. "Of course I am; that's why you married me."<br>"And humble as well." He teased.

She kissed him again and was pulling him closer to her, he in turn running his fingers through her hair when they could hear Malek talking loudly outside their door.

"T'Mari, how much do you want to bet that they're in there bumping uglies. If they're not out in five minutes, we leave for the plaza without them. We haven't eaten all day and I'm hungry!"

Sarah shook her head. "Your brother is such a character."

"And yet I feel that that is what you like most about him." She laughed at his response. "Yeah, I'm glad things worked out so well for him on Earth. Let's go before he has a hissy fit."

Zareth raised a brow as he heard him continue to rant: "And now Blue and his chipmunk wont leave the room either! What the heck kind of people are we traveling with T'Mari?"

"I believe it is too late for that." Zareth replied as they walked out.

"FINALLY!" Malek exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The shopping plaza they went to was open air and very rustic looking with cobblestone streets and lots of potted plants hanging from windowsills. Sarah wrapped her arm around Zareth's as they walked. She was glad that Zareth did not object to it, this was exactly what they needed, just to get out and see something completely different.

They stopped at a few places, did some shopping where T'Mari helped Sarah pick out some new earrings. Then they ended up at a shoe store where Sarah in particular was practically squirming at the beauties they had on display. Even though T'Mari didn't show the same enthusiasm, she wasn't fooling anyone; she was just as eager to get a pair as Sarah was, asking the sales woman to bring out three different pairs in her size.

Then men stood in a corner and watched them, Malek in particular patted his brother hard on the back."I think it's safe to say that you can kiss your credits goodbye Zareth."  
>Denning laughed. "You're not that far behind Malek, T'Mari looks like she intends to buy the entire store!" They looked over as two women were now assisting her with shoes.<p>

"Malek" T'Mari called out to him. "Which one of these shoes looks the best." She asked as she placed each pair side by side.  
>"I don't know.. the one's that cost less."<p>

Sarah scoffed at that. "Typical male answer."

"You didn't even look at them." She replied. "No matter; I shall just have to purchase them all."  
>"See? What did I tell you?" Malek laughed.<p>

Zareth walked over to Sarah who had placed the shoes back in their box and on the shelf.  
>"Where is your pair?"<br>She shrugged. "I don't like any of them."  
>He lifted a brow. "I know that's not true. What is the issue?"<p>

She sighed as she eyed a peach colored pair. "I feel bad about buying all these things..."

"What things Sarah? All you have purchased so far is a pair of earrings."

He picked up the box of peach stiletto's she was looking at and moved the flap to reveal the credits on it, then tucked it under his arm and made his way to the cashier without saying another word.

Sarah blinked as she watched him go and heard T'Mari say to Malek. "Did you see that Malek? You could learn much from your brother."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They spent the rest of the evening at a pub that surprisingly had the best potato pancakes Sarah had ever tasted with a spicy sauce on the side. They ate and had a couple of drinks before they called it an early night to catch up on some much needed rest.

The following morning they all met downstairs for breakfast where Malek was reading aloud from a brochure.  
>"<em>Experience the essence of Scottish tradition when you take a shuttle tour of Glasgow, and end it with a complimentary meal at HogsHead Inn where you will dine while listening to the highland bagpipe trio.<em>" Malek looked up in wonder. "Oh, this is it! We have got to do this!"

Sarah wasn't all that convinced about spending most of the time in a shuttle, she wanted to go explore the moor, and maybe see a couple of farms. She looked over at Zareth and knew he wasn't really interested in doing the tour either. She saw that Narij had a brochure in her hand advertising the biggest mall in all of Scotland.

"I think it logical if we split up today and venture out on our own. It seems that we each want to do something different." Zareth recommended.

"I agree." Narij chimed in.

To Sarah's surprise, Malek didn't make a big fuss about not sticking together, it seemed that he, T'Mari, and Denning had something in particular planned.

"Ok, we'll meet here tomorrow morning at 900 hours to head back home."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So what do you wish to do?" Zareth asked as they walked away from the hotel. They were walking down a lovely dirt trail with views of the beautiful hills and wild flowers. "I don't have anything in particular in mind, how about you?" She asked.

He shook his head in turn. "I am of the same opinion as you, I do not mind simply walking and finding out where this trail takes us."  
>She smiled in turn. "My thoughts exactly, and I see something reminiscent of a farm up ahead, let's go investigate what's there!"<p>

They arrived at the entrance of the farm where they found an old man wearing a straw hat looking at them. "Good morning Sir!" Sarah exclaimed happily as they approached them.

"Mornin'" the man replied. "You've come to buy some strawberries have ya?" Sarah blinked. "Strawberries Sir?"  
>"Sure, this here's a strawberry farm if you just walk up the path and towards the back of the barn there." He handed them a small green basket and smiled at them. "Just let the missus know when you're done; she'll ring ya up."<p>

Sarah smiled as she looked up at Zareth who gave her a: "I guess we could try it" look.

"Thank you Sir." Sarah replied as she took the basket and they walked up the trail towards the back of the barn. You couldn't tell from where they were before, but behind the barn was a huge plot of land filled with nothing but rows of strawberries. She looked up at him, suddenly excited about doing something as simple as picking strawberries, but it warmed his heart to see her so happy.  
>"We can gather some to eat as a snack for later." He said as he bent down to pick up a few.<p>

"Such a vibrant red color! I've never seen them like this! Some are so tiny they look like raspberries, and then you have one's like these!" She said as she held one that was about the size of a small peach.

Once they collected enough strawberries, they made their way down the row and towards the barn where they saw an old woman wearing a yellow shawl perched up against the garden fence. Next to her feet was a yellow cat who looked up sleepily at Zareth and Sarah, it mewed and got up, rubbing it's chubby body against Sarah's feet, purring loudly in the process.

"Oh my! Aren't you friendly!" She said as she gently petted it's head.

"Do you mind?" Sarah asked the woman, motioning to pick up the cat.

"Go on deary, everyone that comes ta this here farm gets the same o' treatment from there whiskers"  
>Sarah immediately picked up the cat and cradled it in her arms to what seemed to Zareth as if she had done it many times before. She looked up at him and smiled.<p>

"I had a cat just like this when I was growing up, but because of..." She shook her head as if remembering a bad memory and didn't finish her sentence.

Zareth came to realize at that moment that Sarah never really spoke about her youth nor about her family for that matter. She knew and had met his family but he knew nothing about hers. He began to remember a conversation in particular in the hospital when she had miscarried their child, the doctor had told him that he had asked her about her family history and she had refused to comment. He looked up at her smiling down on the cat who seemed hypnotized by her and realized that this was something they needed to discuss but at an appropriate time, right now they were on vacation and he had a feeling that if he brought it up now, it would probably ruin the remainder of their stay.

Sarah reluctantly put the cat down and waved her hands a bit before she smiled over at the old woman. "You wouldn't happen to have a place where I can wash up do you?"

The older woman pointed to an outdoor sink they had and Zareth took the opportunity to pay for the strawberries and inquire about any nearby places they could visit.

"There's lots o' farms round here. If ye walk about half a mile down the trail you'll come to Abigail's farm, and she's got o' baked breads she makes from scratch every mornin', lots o' pies and cakes. Visitors like ta buy them and then have a picnic off on da moor's here. Lovely this time o' year."

Zareth nodded, "Thank you, I believe we shall take your advice." He replied as he watched Sarah walk back, she had a lovely smile on her face. It filled him with much pleasure to see her this way.

They bid their farewells to the older woman and the cat who consequently had started to follow Sarah but the older woman picked him up to prevent him from leaving.

"Even male animals are drawn to you." Zareth remarked with a slight upturn of his lips, which caused Sarah to laugh heartily in turn.  
>"Was that a joke Zareth?"<p>

"Merely an observation."

They found the farm that had been recommended to them, it was hard not to seeing as the smell of baked goods lured them to it. They ended up getting the spinach and mushroom pie and some freshly made juice which the lady wrapped of for them to take on their picnic. The walk towards the moor was pleasant as there was a slightly cool breeze that carried the scent of the grass and flowers from the hills as if sending its personal invitation.  
>They found a nice tree where they eventually sat under to enjoy their mid-day meal.<p>

Maybe it was the breath taking views, maybe it was the fact that they had just enjoyed one of the best meals they had had on their trip, or maybe it was a combination of all of those things, but in those moments, Sarah didn't think she could love Zareth more as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She could feel her heart want to burst in her chest at the intensity of her feelings for him. She knew it was transferring through the bond for she felt his fingers caress her lips as she looked into his intense eyes.  
>"I love you Zareth." She whispered. She could feel him sigh in turn before he replied. "And I you Sarah."<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Later that day at the Hogs Head Inn... __  
><em>  
>"Ma-lek!, Ma-lek!, Ma-lek!" The crowd cheered as he stood next to the bagpipe trio. They had given him a spare bagpipe they kept with them, taught him what he needed to do to play the first verse and the crowd chanted the countown for them to begin.<br>"3..2..1.. !" but when Malek began to play, the only sound he was able to produce was something akin to a balloon being deflated.  
>The crowd broke out in laughter, but this time when he tried again he did a fairly decent job. People were clapping along, some of them waving their beer's in the air as he continued to play.<br>When he finished he yelled triumphantly. "I am a Scotsman! Hear me play!" and the crowd again broke out in boisterous cheer.

He shook hands with the trio, thanked them for allowing him to play and made his way over to T'Mari and Denning who was still laughing at the video recording he had just taken of him. "I'm totally saving this in my archives."

The bartender came over then, handing each of them a stout. "This round's on the house, ye did good out there Rommie!" The chubby, red-faced man exclaimed before he turned and left.

"I really like it here!" Exclaimed Malek. "T'Mari, what do you say to moving to Scotland?"  
>She graced him with small smile. "I too have enjoyed our stay but I fear not to such an extent. We mustn't forget our responsibilities in San Francisco, and your brother and.."<p>

"I know.. I know... I was just kidding. Speaking of Zareth, what do you think they're doing? I bet they're not having nearly as much fun as we are!" He lifted his glass of stout. "Cheers guys, to the best vacation ever!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Zhraan, hold this for me?" Narij said as she handed him another shopping bag. He was already carrying five of them.

"I do not see why you feel inclined to buy so much Narij, at present I am holding so many things that I am unable to take hold of your hand."

"But I'm right here Zhraan! I'm not going anywhere! What are you going to do when we start classes again and we have to go to separate classes, separate activities?" She saw his antenna twitch in a way that said he wasn't at all happy where this conversation was headed so she sighed and turned to him.

"Zhraan, you know that I always want to be with you, you do understand that don't you? And that I would never intentionally hurt you."

He didn't answer, just kept looking to the side as if in deep thought. Narij suddenly became worried and placed her arm around him. "Hey.. listen.. I'm.."

"I wish for us to be life mates." He said suddenly.

She blinked in complete shock of his declaration. He then looked at her in all seriousness. "I… I have members of my family coming to earth soon. They have expressed a wish for me to begin forming a family. I did not exaggerate when I first told you that family is of extreme importance to us."

"Zhraan! How long have you known this and why have you kept that information from me?"

"Very recently have they become more forceful because I am coming of an age where… you see.. for Andorians, we only have but 5 years in which we can reproduce, and if it is even possible for us to… We would have to start soon."

Narij sighed and covered her face with her hands.. "Ok.. Zhraan, we need to sit down and talk about this later in private, or when we get back from vacation."  
>He nodded, but only after a few minutes of them walking in complete silence, she turned to him. "I think I want to go back to the hotel now." She said. He looked at her for a long moment before he nodded. "I agree."<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The following morning at 900 hours, they all met at the designated area. They all went out for breakfast one last time before heading back home. Once San Francisco came into view, Sarah smiled. While she had thoroughly enjoyed her vacation, she was glad to be back, and they would still have two more days in which she and Zareth could do things around the house before having to go back to classes.

Sarah turned to look at Zareth who had been also looking out of the window, but then his stare turned to Narij and Zhraan who were sitting across from them. He noted immediately that they were not holding hands, or touching, as a matter of fact; there seemed to be a sort of tension around them that was so acute that he had also sensed it during breakfast, but nobody else seemed to notice it. Normally he would not meddle in such personal affairs, but Narij and Sarah were friends, they were all friends, and maybe it would be worth mentioning to her.

Sarah cut through his thoughts as she smiled up at him and said: "Zareth! We're home!"


	44. Chapter 44

With the time remaining from their break, Sarah and Zareth concentrated on doing stuff around the house. They were outside tending to their garden when they received a message from Malek.

"Let's meet up at the new Vietnamese place they opened up near your house, we need to go over a few things."  
>Zareth and Sarah walked to the restaurant and found Malek sitting on one of the outdoor tables by himself, he waved them over and almost before they sat down Zareth asked: "Where is T'Mari, why is she not here with you?"<p>

"Yeah about that." Malek began as he sighed.

"Oh no.. don't tell me…" Sarah began.

"No, no, Sarah; T'Mari and I are fine, it's actually Narij who isn't."

Sarah blinked and Zareth sighed, so.. he was right to suspect something was wrong.

"It looks like she and Blue are having some problems the thing is.. I… I'm not one to really meddle in other people's lives you know? If they're going to be unhappy together then it's probably for the best that they do go their separate ways the problem is that T'Mari gets all worked up over Narij getting super emotional and even though she'll never admit it, I feel the brunt of what she's trying to repress. Ever since we got back from vacation Narij has been staying with us and she talks about is Blue. Blue this, Blue that, Blue, Blue, flippin Blue!  
>"Why are humans so complicated?" He said as he was looking at Sarah as if all that was occurring was her fault. "Why can't she just go up to him and say: "Blue I love you, let's go have a million babies together."<p>

Sarah shook her head. "I don't understand, they're always inseparable, has she explained what happened?"

"It has to do with his Andorian mating rituals and.. ehh… I'm not sure I really wanna get into all that but apparently he needs to start making babies like right now and Narij wants to wait till after they're done at the academy. The problem is that his family is supposed to be arriving today to look at some properties to start their engineering firm here on Earth but also to make sure he has a mate who's ready to start fabricating.. you know what I mean? and if he doesn't have someone willing and ready; they're going to pick someone for him."

"That's terrible." Sarah mumbled. "I kinda understand the wanting to wait till after graduation but at the same time, if he's only got a short time frame…."

"It is a hard decision they have placed on her." Zareth agreed.

"You would think that with the advancement of science, they would've figured out a way where Andorians can reproduce at any time and not just the five years, can't they freeze up his... you know.. for later use or something?" Sarah asked.

"Blue tadpole popsicles Sarah? That is your solution? Yeah… I don't know anything about that, but if I was them, I would quit avoiding each other and try to get out there and find a solution to their problem, it's only logical!"

Zareth raised a brow. "I think that is the first time ever I have heard you say that word brother."

"Yeah well… their situation is driving me crazy because it's directly affecting T'Mari and I, and then if I say anything about it they both get mad at me; I can't win!"

"I don't know that there's anything you can do Malek." Sarah said in all seriousness. "This is their issue and you need to let them work it out, has he tried contacting her?"

Malek nodded. "He actually stopped by to see her before I came to meet you guys here."

Sarah nodded. "Time will tell if their relationship is strong enough to withstand this occurrence."

"Yeah well.. Who's hungry? I heard they awesome pho here." Malek said as he picked up the menu. It was obvious he was done talking about the drama going on.

Zareth raised a brow. "Make sure they bring extra jalapenos."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Narij went out the front door and saw Zhraan standing there, it was as if her heart was breaking all over again. Her eyes watered and she immediately lowered her head so that he could not see how this was affecting her. She so wanted to touch him, to feel his smooth blue skin, to be held against his broad chest. She took a tentative step forward and that was apparently enough indication for him to reach across them and lift her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. She quickly circled her small arms around his neck and kissed him ardently on the lips. While she did this, one hand worked its way up to his antenna and began making small, delicate circles around the edge which only increased his desire. He moaned in her mouth when she did the same to both antennas, the sensation driving him to such a state that he was likely to take her there on the front doorstep.

"Narij please.." He said as he finally pulled away from her lips. He saw tears streaming down her cheeks and he realized that she was suffering just as much as he had been, it was foolish to let this go on further.

"Narij, we need to talk."

She nodded. "I know."

"My family arrives today and I want to introduce them to you as my life mate."

She closed her eyes, dreading where the conversation was headed. "And we are going to tell them that we're going to wait until you graduate to begin forming our family and I am prepared to face whatever consequence comes with that, but I need to know that you will remain by my side."

"Zhraan! Are you sure this is what you want? You really want to risk your family alienating you for me?"

"Narij!" He said almost too forcefully. "I love you, and only you, nobody else will do! I am not about to bind myself to a keth where no love exists."  
>He sighed as he held her close. "Sometimes Narij, when one is in a Keth, the possibility of a child being conceived between the four parties is not guaranteed, just like the possibility of us conceiving is not guaranteed, but I rather take my chances with you. I only want a child with you. The question now remains, will you come with me this afternoon and meet my family?"<p>

Narij only thought about for 2 seconds before she nodded and kissed him again. "Yes Zhraan, let's go face this together."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

That evening Narij wore her finest pink Sari made with woven silk and jeweled rhinestones in the form of flowers on the trim of her sleeves. She had matching pink silk shoes as well and she took the time to fix her hair and pin it with a cream colored silk flower bow. She looked like a life size doll she was so cute.

T'Mari had looked at her with approval and stated: "I will have to acquire one of these Sari's, they are aesthetically pleasing."

When Zhraan had seen her, it was as if he had frozen on the spot, all he could do was look her up and down as she blushed deeply. "Zhraan, we're going to be late."

"That's fine." Was all he said before she grabbed him by the arm and led him out the door.

That had been highlight of the night for what followed was what Narij had feared all along.

Upon entering the hotel suite his family was staying at, they looked at her with disdain and when Zhraan had declared that he and Narij were to wait until she graduated they all but kicked them out.

"If you do not honor the ways of Andora, we have nothing further to discuss." And that had been it. They wouldn't even bother to listen to their side of things and as soon as Narij saw the door close in front of her face, she broke out in tears.  
>Zhraan quickly took her in his arms and cradled her until he finally picked her up off the ground and carried her away from the hotel suite.<p>

"Shhh.." He whispered in her ear. "We have each other, that's all that matters. I.. do you.. how do you think your family will react when they know of our union?"  
>He asked, and that seemed to get her attention as she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.<p>

"I've already told my mom, sisters, my two aunts and cousins about you, and they're ok with it. My family is simple Zhraan. I think that as long as they know that you'll love and take care of me they'll be ok."

He nodded. "I think we should make plans to visit your family. How about two weekends from today?" Even as he said this he was getting excited. He knew she had a big family and if they accepted him then that would be more than enough for the time being. He was also looking forward to how Indian culture varied from what he had learned so far during his time in San Francisco. This meant he would have to download some new language programs to his computer and get to practicing right away. He wanted above all else that Narij's family would be left impressed by him.

**Next Chapter will be their trip to India and meeting her family, as well as Sarah and Zareth talking about her past, stay tuned! **


	45. Chapter 45

**A lot of the information for this chapter was obtained thanks to a co-worker of mine who is actually getting married this December and taking that month off to return to India where they dedicate an entire week to the wedding celebration. He gave me a lot of useful information that will be used in this chapter and the future ones where India's culture is concerned.**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and keeping up with 45 chapters! I feel like I need to blow out candles or something!**

* * *

><p>Both Narij and Zhraan stayed up late almost every single night the week before their trip to India to make sure they were caught up with all their assignments so that they were worry-free the weekend that they'd leave for India.<br>The night before they were to leave, she was talking to her sister Ankita.

"So let me see him already! I want to see Narij!"

"But you're going to see him tomorrow! He's studying right now."  
>Then she heard another female voice and soon enough her cousin Kalyani appeared on screen too. "Oh come on! Let us see, just for a second!"<p>

Narij sighed. "Fine!" She looked over at Zhraan who was already giving her an amused look having heard the commotion, he rather they be curious about him in a good way rather than put off as his family had been towards her so he stood up off his seat and sat next to her so that they could see him as well.

There was an immediate squeal emitted from both girls followed by lots of giggling. "Oh my gosh Narij! He's so big!"  
>"and handsome!" added her cousin.<p>

"It is very nice to meet you all." He said as he nodded. Which only made them squeal again.

"His voice is so deep, and handsome! It's no wonder you roped him in Narij! We have to call mom! She has to see him!" Her sister cried before she disappeared off-screen. "! What's the big deal? You're all going to see him tomorrow!" She sighed as she looked at Zhraan. "It's going to be like this all weekend, you're going to be like some kind of celebrity."

Her sister appeared again and Narij asked: "So? Where's mom?"  
>"She can't come up right now, she's elbow deep in dough, she's making Motichoor Laddu and Gulab Jamun for tomorrow."<p>

"Oh my gosh, my favorite!" Narij cried happily.

"Yup, and she's making enough for like fifty people, the entire family is going to come over to meet your handsome man."

"What is Moti.. and Gulab?" Zhraan asked, the subject of food getting his immediate attention.

Narij was about to explain but her cousin on screen beat her to it. "Motichoor Laddu are small, ball shaped desserts, they come in many varieties but Narij's favorite is the one that has the chick pea base, cardamom, and almonds rolled in sugar."

"It is amazing, you'll see." Narij said to him. "and then Gulab Jamun is pretty much just like a donut except that it has lots of spices like cinnamon and cardamom, and then when its taken off the fryer, its drizzled with a sweet, honey-like syrup, I think you'll like it too. They're usually served during special events and festivities so the fact that mom is even bothering to go through the trouble is a very good sign."

Zhraan's antennas quirked which caused another fit of giggles to emit from the girls on the other end.

"You guys are so immature! Especially you Ankita! You're like thirty years old! You have no excuse!" Narij said hotly, They use to argue like this all the time when she was in India, it was obvious not much had changed.

"What? It was funny!" She said as she wiped her eyes.

"Alright well, we have to go now, so we'll see you all tomorrow!" Her sister and cousin waved frantically. "Bye Zhraan! Have a good trip tomorrow!"

When Narij ended the communication, she quickly launched herself at Zhraan who wasted no time in wrapping her legs around his waist. "We wont have a minute alone when we get there." Narij said in between kisses. "Better make the most of it now."

But right in the middle of their heated kiss, the door chime sounded and immediately both of them stopped in mid-kiss to look over at the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" She asked.  
>He nodded in turn. "Nobody for I seriously doubt my family would come to visit after recent events."<p>

They both made their way towards the door before Zhraan peered on the small screen to see who it was. She noticed that his antenna stood up straighter as he himself poised himself defensively.

"It is my brother." He whispered before he said in command: "Enter!"  
>The door slid open to reveal an Andorian who looked very much like Zhraan except not as tall and in Narij's eyes, not as handsome. He was thinner and his eyebrows were thicker, he also appeared to be a bit older than Zhraan.<p>

"Brother." He nodded, and then looked at Narij and offered her a small smile before saying, "You are rather cute in appearance, I see why my brother likes you. I am Deetran, but you may call me Deet for short." She blushed slightly and bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you."

He laughed before adding. "Even her voice is cute! I bet my brother was smitten by you immediately!"

Zhraan possessively took hold of Narij as he replied to his brother. "I take it that you were not sent by our parents then."

Deet held his hands up. "At ease Zhraan, I'm not here to try to convince you to join a keth or any nonsense like that. On the contrary; I think their actions are antiquated and unrealistic. You should choose to be with whoever you want and I know that they're pressuring you more due to me. My five years have come and gone and I'm still single and they'll never forgive me fully for it. What they don't know however is that I know someone who is working with a group of doctors and that all might change, but try telling that to our parents; they wont hear it."

Without even being invited to; Deet pulled out a chair and made himself comfortable, looking around at their space and saying: "Yes, she suits you Zhraan." For some reason, Narij imagined that if he and Malek ever met, they would be an unstoppable force; she wasn't really sure how she felt about it.

He looked to the side and saw a couple of bags lying on the floor. "What's with the suitcases? You guys eloping?"

"We're going to India tomorrow morning to meet Narij's family; they're expecting us."

His antenna quirked up so quickly that Narij almost missed it. "Really?! and they approve of your union?"

Narij nodded. "Yeah, we actually just got done talking to my sister and my cousin, they're preparing for a banquet tomorrow."  
>Narij blinked as she saw Deet's blue eyes blink with amazement followed immediately by his question: "Can I join you guys?"<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The following day, all three of them arrived in Delhi.  
>On the drive over, Zhraan had noticed a lot of open air markets, people selling produce he had never seen before, and lots of spices. They had passed by a stall where a man was making something that looked like donuts, and right next to him was a man heating up flatbread and placing grilled vegetables with a red sauce over it. Narij saw him looking at it and said: "That's Gali Paranthe Wali this street is known for many vendors cooking different variations of fried bread. Even in the closed up shuttle car he could imagine the smells emitting from it; he would have to ask Narij that they pass by it later and taste some of the fare. They finally arrived at a two story house with a very large balcony on the second floor. The very front was secured by a gate that opened up for them once Narij punched in the code.<br>Once the shuttle car was turning up the driveway, the front door of the house opened and out came what must've been at least 12 people with open arms and saying things far too fast for Zhraan to understand. He was being hugged and patted and moved around in every direction but then immediately Narij's parents stepped up front and Zhraan folded both his hands together and bowed before them saying: "Namaste".  
>Both Narij's parents smiled and bowed in turn responding: "Assamese"<p>

"This is my brother 'Deetran,I hope you do not mind that he is visiting as well." Her mother blinked and quickly grabbed hold of Narij's sister Ankita; "This is my eldest daughter! She is single and can cook delicious cuisine that will make any man happy!"

"Oh my god mom! I don't' even know him and neither do you!" She said as she looked up shyly at Deet.

"So what? Look at him! I bet he's got a fine profession." She looked up at Deet. "Tell me, what do you do for a living?"

Deet's cheeks became almost a purplish hue causing both Zhraan and Narij to laugh amongst themselves. "I uh.. I'm an engineer."

"See?!" her mom exclaimed and then grabbed Deet by the hand and practically dragged him in the house. "You come inside and we feed you."

Zhraan was about to walk in with Narij but then he felt a strong arm land on his shoulder. Of course, it was her father. He turned to Narij and motioned her away. He said something that Zhraan didn't understand at all and Narij looked up at him. "He wants to talk to you man to man, I'll be inside; I'll fix you a plate of food."

The older man smiled up at Zhraan and right away asked: "So, you plan to make an honest woman out of my daughter and marry her?" He certainly didn't beat around the bush at all, but in this case the mode of conversation was most welcome, it meant that they were willing to accept him into the family.  
>He nodded vehemently. "Yes, as soon as possible actually."<p>

"Good, you come here to get married, we arrange everything. You understand you have to provide for my daughter? And children is very important."

"Yes." Zhraan agreed. "Narij and I want to have a big family, but after she graduates."

At that, her father gave him a large smile. "Very good! So! You an engineer too?"  
>"Well, I work with engineering; I'm a technical writer."<br>The father seemed pleased with that, and Zhraan couldn't blame him, it was obviously important to him that his daughter didn't end up with a deadbeat.

"What about your family? Are they here on Earth? Do they approve of Narij?"

At that Zhraan sighed. "The only one that's ok with it is my brother who joined us today; otherwise... No, they do not approve, but I don't care about that because I love your daughter and she is the only one I want to form a family with."

Her father patted him on the arm. "It takes a strong man to do that." Then he stood up and opened his arms as if inviting him to embrace. "I welcome you to the Patel family; we are now your family."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah was insatiable.

Usually he was the one worried about being too aggressive in their lovemaking but the way Sarah was today, she would put any Vulcan female to shame.  
>She was straddling him, getting ready for round 4, sinking her teeth yet again into his shoulder and making him wince slightly.<br>As much as Zareth wanted them to continue, he didn't like the fact that he could feel through their bond that something was wrong, she was hiding something, and her current actions could've been a way of forgetting as humans usually did when they didn't want to deal with something painful. He reluctantly pulled away and stayed looking her kiss swollen lips and burning emerald eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Wha? Nothings wrong." She mumbled and tried to reach for him but he backed away.

"I do not appreciate it when you keep things from me Sarah."

She sighed and fell back against the pillows, closing her eyes and breathing deeply before she replied: "Today marks the anniversary of my fathers death... He.. "

She sighed deeply but Zareth tried his best to counter her pain via their bond, she felt it and continued.

"He died shortly after my mom left us she... I don't think you've ever heard of her. My mom's name is Violet Williams she.. she started out as a fashion model and because of her beauty and charm it wasn't long before she was being offered movie and Broadway contracts. She met my father during the filming of her first movie, he was a writer. They fell in love, got married and they had me but she didn't want me; I was a mistake Zareth; I was not supposed to have been born.  
>Apparently I was the reason for their breakup, she didn't want to have to come home and deal with me and my father couldn't stand it. He couldn't understand how she was unable to love her own flesh and blood, but he stuck with it because he loved her, and he thought she would eventually get over it.<br>When I was five she left us, leaving nothing but a note behind to my father that she had fallen in love with the director of her latest production; I never saw her again after that, not even when my father died eight years later."

"After his death I stayed living with my step-mother but it wasn't the same, she didn't care for me and almost as soon as my dad had passed away, she made me turn in my cat to the animal shelter and I grieved for the loss of that cat almost as much as I had grieved my own father because the cat in my mind was tied to the memory of my father.  
>For a long time Zareth.. I've believed that my existence in this world was worthless, I think it's why I allowed myself to get involved in such a self destructive relationship before you and I got together. Sometimes even now I look at what we have and I keep thinking that one of these days it will all be taken from me."<br>She sighed loudly and covered her face with her arms, probably feeling ashamed of what she had just said to him, although he didn't see why she should be. Any parent should've been more than proud to have had a daughter like her.

The emotion of her situation was so grave that he knew that this was not an occurrence to be dealt with using words, something deeper, more personal needed to transpire between them. He took her in his arms and carefully reached up to her psi points. He looked into her eyes and waited for her to nod in approval before he delved into her mind.

The pain she felt was almost too much to bear, it was no wonder she was trying to block it with her love for him. He concentrated on that and she in turn felt his love envelope her in such a way that made her understand that worrying about such things was no longer necessary.

Zareth whispered to her in her mind, reassuring her that he would always be there for her, they were one always and forever.  
>In her mind Zareth was like a golden light, giving her warmth and the inner peace she needed so that when he finally withdrew, she felt as if a huge load had been released off of her.<p>

She was so overwhelmed with love for him that they immediately continued their activities but this time it wasn't aggressive, it was slow and full of love.  
>It wasn't for the reason to forget about past occurrences; this time it was to celebrate what they shared together as two souls who had found one another and would never be parted.<p> 


	46. Chapter 46

It had been an exceptionally long week for Sarah. The G-Oracle project had kicked off and was underway and as with any project that is new on the scene, it came a wide variety of problems and issues that sometimes took a myriad of people to solve.

It also didn't really help matters considering that Denning was not in the best of spirits these days and she knew that it had to do with a woman; particularly Sheila for every time he brought her up, he'd change the subject.  
>She understood how it probably felt for him, so she did her best to give him space.<p>

It was Thursday night and after Sarah made dinner, she started cleaning the rest of the house. Tomorrow the gang was coming over to discuss some stuff about Narij's wedding and she had to admit she as excited about it. She had always wanted to take part in a traditional Indian wedding and Narij already gave her a heads up that she would have to come up with 6 different outfits for each day that they have a different ceremony, doing so meant respect towards the bride and the groom.

Zareth had definitely not been pleased with that bit of news, stating all the reasons why that earth custom was illogical to Sarah when they were alone.  
>Sarah had wrapped her arms around him and kissed him soundly before saying. "Imagine that you wear the same exact outfit for six days straight, not only are you going to stink, but it will show that you couldn't bother to even seek appropriate attire. This is their custom, they're our friends, we should respect their wishes even if it doesn't make sense to you."<br>He had sighed in defeat for it was obvious Sarah had made up her mind on the subject, and while he could counter her reasoning, he decided not to for he could sense through the bond she had been excited about the 6 days of torture he would have to endure.

She had just finished cleaning the first floor and was about to make her way upstairs when she heard Zareth come in. She quickly dropped her utensils and made her way towards the front door and stopped immediately when she saw that he had something behind his back as if hiding it from her. She tried searching the bond to see if it was on the forefront of his mind but he kept it well hidden.

She blinked and then smirked at him. "Hmmm.. What are you hiding from me Zareth?"

He graced her with a small smile in turn before saying: "Human custom suggests that you close your eyes and hold out your hands in order for this to resume properly."

She gushed with delight. "OH! You got me a surprise! Ok." She said and immediately did as he instructed. She felt him approach her and then felt a furry and soft texture on her hands as he instructed her: "Hold him carefully."

She immediately opened her eyes and squealed with delight as she saw the cute blonde kitty in her hands. It looked up at her with large green eyes and meowed as it moved around in her hands.  
>He could see and feel that she was overcome with emotion as she held the small kitten against her chest.<p>

Her emerald eyes glazed with tears as she looked at him and said: "I.. I don't know what to say Zareth.. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."  
>She cradled the kitten on one shoulder and reached out with her free hand so she could caress his fingers. Her slow, sensual movement causing Zareth to want to feel more than just her hand. He bent down and kissed her soundly, allowing himself to relish their physical contact as well as feel her appreciation via their bond.<p>

The small kitten meowed and hopped out of her arm, running towards the kitchen where he sniffed the air before meowing again.

"I believe he is hungry." Zareth whispered.

"We need to get him some supplies." She said as he held her in his arms. He gently pulled away before her, reaching behind him. There was a large bag and inside it he began to pull out two small blue bowls, a couple of toy mice, a blue litter box, a bag of actual cat litter, and a bag of kitten food.

"I believe I have covered the basics in accordance to what I was told at the animal shelter."

"Zareth, he's beautiful. What should we name him?"

Zareth blinked as he looked at the cat. It kept sniffing the air, no doubt smelling the meal Sarah had prepared.  
>"I do not have much experience in these matters; I will allow you to choose the name."<p>

She seemed to think about it and started saying aloud a few names, but she didn't really seem to like any of them. "We'll pick a name for him later; I can't really think of a good one right now."

"We have time to think of something appropriate, in the meantime let's make sure he is well established."

Zareth took the supplies over to the counter. Once he opened the bag of food, the small kitten rubbed himself around his leg and began to purr. Zareth looked down at what it was doing before raising a brow at Sarah. "Most curious reaction."  
>Sarah laughed. "He appreciates you feeding him."<p>

When Zareth placed the dish on the floor, the kitten immediately ran to it, his tail perked upwards as it ate.  
>"It has quite the appetite." Zareth noted.<p>

Sarah wrapped her arms around him from behind before giving him a slight tug at his hand. "Speaking of appetite, let's eat dinner. I made falafel's with pita bread, hummus, and a tabouleh salad."

After washing up and sitting down to dinner, Sarah couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. She and Zareth were enjoying their usual evening meal except that this time they had a new addition who'd occasionally look up from his dish to look at them before returning to his own food. It warmed her heart to think that they were finally starting to expand as a family, even if it was just by acquiring a tiny feline friend.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Friday night rolled around. Sarah ran from upstairs, still fixing her shirt as she dashed towards the door. Zareth followed after at a calm pace. She opened the door wide so the gang could come in; they were slightly earlier than usual.  
>They shuffled in the usual pots of food, bags of breads, desserts and drinks. Sarah noticed immediately a new face and knew that he must be related to Zhraan. He was making his way forward, probably about to introduce himself when Malek jumped up against T'Mari.<p>

"What's that on the floor?" He pointed as if it were something to be frightened of.

"Oh, that's the new kitty Zareth got me as a gift."

The kitten came forward as if knowing it was being talked of. It looked up at Malek and walked closer towards him where Malek immediately scrambled away from it, letting out a squeal that caused everyone to laugh.

"Malek, you're seriously not going to tell me you're frightened of a defenseless little cat!." Denning scoffed.

Malek cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "Of course not! I am a Vulcan and therefore..." Sarah picked it up and brought it towards him in that moment, causing him to run towards the other side of the house. Everyone except of course for Zareth laughing again.

"Oh my gosh! It's so cute Sarah!" Narij squealed as she picked it up. She held it up and started talking to it. "You are my new best friend, and I'm going to train you to attack Malek!"

"Don't you have a cage to keep that vicious animal in?" Malek yelled from the kitchen.

"Actually I was thinking he could eat with us at the table." Sarah said.

"Oh yeah! That would be great!" Narij said to Sarah with a mischievous smirk. "Right next to Malek, the only way he'll get over his fear is by facing it." She suddenly gasped, her eyes growing wide. "Hey, what's its name? Have you named it yet cause if not I think it should be named after Malek."

"You will not tie my name to that beast!" He pointed from the kitchen.

Narij continued, completely ignoring him. "Malek Jr. sounds kinda lame.. Hey! How about his name spelled backwards! So it would be..."

"Kelam" Zareth quickly said as he looked at his brother hiding in the kitchen with an amused glance.

"WHAT! No way are you naming the beast that!" Malek cried.

Sarah thought about it and pronounced it several times. "Hey! It's actually a cute name, don't you think Zareth?"

"I think it would be most appropriate." He replied.

"As do I" Added T'Mari, it holds a certain charm.

"I don't see what the problem is." Said Denning with a smirk. "A cute and furry Earth creature is being named after you.

Malek began arguing again while Zhraan whispered towards his brother: "They do this kind of thing all the time. The one in the kitchen has some sort of chemical imbalance where he's very much unlike any Vulcan you will ever meet. I've learned to just stand back and watch."

Deet's antenna twitched. "You mean he's not a Romulan? All this time I thought he was a Romulan."

Let's break up the spectacle shall we?" Deet said with a smirk.

He stepped up and cleared his throat. "As much as I grieve to interrupt the lively discussion you're all having I would like to very much to introduce myself to you both." He said directing himself to Sarah and Zareth.  
>"My name is Deetran, but people call me Deet; I am Zhraan's brother, and I thank you for welcoming me to your home."<br>He said with a deep bow.

"Welcome?" replied Malek from the kitchen, "We thought you were hired by Narij to hold Blue's hand while she's upstairs with all the other girls, and that ...thing."

Sarah smiled and turned to him. "You're very welcome to our home. This is Zareth, my husband."  
>Deet blinked. "Is he a Romulan as well?"<p>

Everyone expect for Zareth laughed at that. "Actually, the one cowering in the kitchen and I are both brothers." He replied in amusement.

Deet tried to repress a laugh and simply nodded. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, if I may?" He said motioning towards the cat. Narij handed him over and Deet cradled it carefully in his arm and after only a few gentle strokes, the cat was asleep.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Sarah exclaimed.

"We have a creature similar to this in Andora, the fur is much thicker due to our climate but still very similar; the one's here on Earth are gentle."

"Gentle my foot!" Malek exclaimed. When you least suspect it, you'll get attacked!"

"Maybe just you Malek." Denning replied as they all laughed again.

Deet placed Kelam on a small blanket Sarah set up for him in the living room, only then did Malek agree to actually leave the kitchen and sit in the dining room.. which he did until Deet kept making discreet cat meows and pointing towards the floor and saying things like: "Hey! look at what the cat dragged in!" At which point Malek grabbed his plate and pulled up a stool on the kitchen counter.

Sarah had never seen Narij laugh so hard. She was glad that at least one family member of Zhraan's family was accepting of her for she had found out what had occurred with his family.

"So Zhraan, how did you find India?" Sarah asked.

He wiped his mouth before he answered and took Narij's free hand in his. "It is a charming country, and the food was.."

"How did I know he was going to mention the food." Malek said from the kitchen. Deet looked up and laughed out loud. "Malek! You've got a visitor there next to you!"

"Yeah right, I'm not falling for that again." He said as he looked down to the side and practically fell out of his stool when he saw Kelam there looking up at him and meowing.

"It wants you to feed him Malek." Denning said. "Would be a good opportunity for you guys to bond."

Kelam was slowly walking towards him but Malek side-stepped him, carrying his plate of food and made a dash back to the dining room where he was sitting before.

"You wanna control your feline friend there?" He motioned at Sarah. She blinked in turn. "Control what? He's fine see? He's walking over to you right now."

Malek looked below the table and affirmatively, the fluffy beast was making its way towards him. He sighed in defeat as he pushed his plate of food away from him, already feeling the creature rubbing up against his feet.

"Why me? I can understand if it were a female; all females are drawn to me, and I can't say that I blame them... I see you rolling your eyes Narij. Blue will you squeeze your mate's hand more firmly? She's out of control."

"I'm out of control? You're the one freaking out over a defenseless kitten. Instead of focusing on your issues Malek, I thought we were going to talk about what we had all decided on."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked.

"We have decided to partake in a double wedding." T'Mari answered. "Our training has almost concluded and we had originally planned to do something simple here, but now that Zhraan and Narij are to be married we decided to change our plans. This will be agreeable."

"Oh my gosh! That's a great idea!" Sarah said excitedly. "I have never seen a double wedding before!"

"Yeah you should see my outfit; try to control yourself when you see me in it Sarah; wouldn't want Zareth there to get jealous."

At this Deet purposely spoke loud enough to his brother so they could hear. "The Romulan sure does think highly of himself doesn't he?"

"Hey! Blue to the second power! You were there; you know how intricate and detailed Indian attire is, especially since I heard you had a special little buddy show you around." Malek ended with a smirk. At this Deet's cheeks turned a purplish color.

"Do you and my sister still talk?" Narij asked. "I.. She.. we sort of had an argument.. I rather not discuss it just now." Deet replied.

"I've got your back Blue the second; I'll give you some tips on how to win her over."

"Wow, ok; I'm ready to head upstairs now." Narij said as she stood up from the table.

"Right behind ya." Sarah said as she and T'Mari followed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So what happened with you and Narij's sister?" Malek asked once they were outside sitting around the fire pit.

"Straight forward aren't ya?" Deet replied.

Malek motioned towards himself with a smile. "What you see is what you get Bluey, no false pretenses here."

He looked around and saw everyone was waiting for him to answer, including the mature Vulcan in the group. He'd have to ask Zhraan sometime how he ended up with a human although he already had an idea given how lovely his wife was. It's why he didn't fully trust Vulcans, he knew under the 'logic' facade they were lust-driven beasts. But this pair although out of the ordinary, seemed ok.

"We were getting along fine but then she left to get something and when she returned she saw me and her cousin talking. It just so happens that right when she walked in, her cousin had placed her hand on mine and apparently she mistook this for something improper. All I know is that after that she distanced herself from me and seemed very dry. I called her approximately two days ago because I thought she was sincerely an intriguing woman but the first thing she asked me was: 'Oh, do you wish to speak to my cousin?"

"She's jealous of her cousin." Denning replied.

"Yeah, human women are like that sometimes, especially the insecure ones." Denning continued to say.

"But.. I am not interested in her cousin."

"She doesn't know that, what did you say after she told you that?"

"I ended the communication; I wasn't in the mood to deal with her foul and uncalled for temper."

"Ouch.. yeah, you need to let her know under no uncertain terms that you strictly only want her, and I would do it soon. She might think you really did call to talk to her cousin."

"It might be for the best that things remain as they are. If this is how it is going to be and it's only the beginning, how will it be later on?"

"You do what you've gotta do Bluey; just remember there's lots of fish in the sea, specially here on Earth." Malek ended with a grin.

"Fish?.. I do not want fish; at least not right now." Deet replied.

Malek looked up at Zareth. "You've been training him haven't you?" He smirked and then looked back at Deet."It's ok; my brother Zareth here wanted to bond with Sarah after the first second he saw her and it took them an incredibly long time before they did anything about it. Sometimes things happen that way so don't sweat it too much."

"Logic dictated that I follow the proper human protocols." Zareth replied.

"That's the problem though; I don't know if I want her as a mate; I just know that I liked her during the short time I was there." Deet replied.

"Then call her again, and if she's still got an attitude then forget about it." Denning replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world, but to Deet such matters were anything but, its why he was still single. He didn't like to have to worry about such dealings.

He would have to deal with such thoughts at a later time for at present everyone else had moved on from the subject and were now avidly speaking of the upcoming wedding, and whether he liked it or not, he'd have to at least be in civil terms with her for they were to be staying in India for at least two weeks.

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><p><strong>On the next: "Love Not Included" - The double bridal shower, and Zareth makes an interesting discovery about Zhraan's brother Deet. Stay tuned to find out what happens next!<strong>


	47. Chapter 47

**I know I said this would be a bridal shower but I stand corrected by my co-worker who says its actually a Misri ceremony (like an engagement party) and actually takes place during the 6day festivities, but I decided to break it up and make it a special party in itself for this chapter. I also borrowed some customs from other celebrations and added it here to make it extra special for our beloved characters.**

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><p>Zareth was waiting outside of Sarah's class. He stood up straighter when he saw the other students drifting out of the classroom. She was putting something away in her bag and trying to walk at the same time, not really looking where she was going so Zareth took the opportunity to stand in her path. As predicted, she bumped into him.<br>"I'm so sorry I.." But her look of shock was quickly replaced with a smile when she looked up and saw it was him. "Zareth! You did that on purpose!" She said playfully before extending her fingers out to him.  
>Their fingers touched with that electrifying pulse that wanted to give way to more. Sarah smirked as she looked up at him. "We're supposed to go shopping remember?" She whispered.<br>"Perhaps a momentary detour can be arranged." He replied with a completely neutral expression, but his voice hinted of something entirely different.

"Zareth!" She said as she playfully slapped him. "You're so bad! Besides, Denning and Malek are going to tag along, oh here they come." She said pointing behind him. Zareth turned around and saw Malek already smirking. "Yeah I saw that; what have I said about finger kissing in public Zareth? Wait till our parents hear of this outrage!"

"I could think of some other discrepancies that would be of greater interest to them Malek." He said as he eyed him cautiously.

"Such a kidder!" Malek replied as he slapped him hard on the back.  
>"So where are we going? The mall?"<p>

"Uhhh no, although we could later on if you really want to, but Narij gave me the address of the store that sells Indian attire for men so I think we should head that way."

"Alright, we'll take my hover car." Denning said as he led the way.  
>"Why isn't Blue here with us? He's getting married too, its not just me." Malek asked.<br>"Well, Narij has already picked out all his outfits, so there really is no need for him to come; I'm surprised T'Mari hasn't picked yours out too."  
>Malek waved his hand. "Nah, she's been busier than usual, the only order she gave me was to make sure it matches with hot pink."<br>Sarah blinked.. she knew T'Mari had a twisted obsession with that color but the thought of it being used as part of wedding ensemble seemed eccentric especially for a Vulcan but she decided not to say anything on the matter. Zareth looked at her as if knowing what she was thinking. "You must remember Sarah that given my research, Indian attire is very colorful so the fact that she chooses something in hot pink will not stand out oddly."  
>"Yeah, you're right.. so does that mean we should look for something in hot pink for you as well?" She asked teasingly.<br>He blinked and stood straighter as he walked. "I will leave that to Malek, I suggest we try to find colors that match your apparel for myself."  
>Sarah smiled. "You want to go in matching outfits! That's so sweet!"<p>

Malek mimicked her: "That's so sweet!" He said as he batted his lashes and pouted his lips. "Come here sweetums! He said as he grabbed Denning as if he were going to kiss him. "Gross Malek, I don't roll that way." He exclaimed as he pushed him off.  
>"You guys are such children, it's no wonder Narij is always mad at you Malek!" Sarah exclaimed as she folded her arms in front of her.<p>

"She might be T'Mari's bestie as she calls her, but that girl has no sense of humor whatsoever, all I have to do is say two words and she's off like a fire-cracker."

Sarah smirked but didn't say anything as they got in the car, she immediately intertwined her hand with Zareths since they were in the backseat, making small circles against the pads of his fingers. He looked at her and nudged her mentally via their bond but she continued to look straight ahead as if nothing was amiss.

"_I will get you later.."_She felt him whisper mentally.

She smirked in turn as she whispered: "Promises.. promises.."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sarah had picked out 5 Kurta's for Zareth, she was currently waiting outside of the dressing room, tapping her foot as she looked through a bridal magazine. He stepped out wearing the silky blue Kurta with gold embroidery; all of his outfits had resembled her dresses in some way.  
>"You didn't button it all the way to the top." She said as she placed the magazine to the side and got up to button the rest for him.<br>"I don't see the logic in placing so many buttons on one single article of clothing."

"Don't be a sourpuss Zareth, this is for our friends and your brother." She said as she was now fastening the buttons on his neck, he could feel her fingertips rub deliciously against his skin.

"Perhaps you should do this while we're in the dressing room." he said huskily.

"Ok, I'll just.. wait a second! Zareth! We can't! Imagine if we get caught! We'll never hear the end of it!"

"The door has a lock, and so long as our volume is kept in check, nobody will need know." He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You know that your brother has a knack for showing up at the most inopportune times, he'll find out; I'm sure of it." She looked up across the store, he and Denning were still looking at outfits. Despite her slight hesitance, Zareth was leading her into the dressing room and locking the door. The only sound heard was the rustle of the silk coming off followed by the sound of Sarah's zipper being pulled down.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So everything is ready, we've got the caterers scheduled to arrive at 5:00pm." Narij said as she went over her check list.

"We must depart in 15 minutes time to pick up Zhraan and then receive your family at the shuttle port." T'Mari reminded her.

"Yes I know... I have to comm Sarah and double check to make sure that she got the boxes of decorations for the party." She paused for a moment and then began punching buttons again on her comm. "She's not answering, I'll try Zareth." She waited a few more moments before she put away her comm altogether. "Neither of them are answering, I'll try again later, I know she said they were gonna go buy Zareth some outfits, they're probably just busy."

"Narij, everything will be fine, there is no need to worry." T'Mari said sensing her worry.

"I know I just.. I want everything to go well!"

"It will, now let us go receive your family."

The following day was a whirlwind of excitement. Since the bridal party was taking place in Zareth and Sarah's patio, Zareth got up at 5:00am promptly to mow the lawn and tend to the area so that it was in top condition. Sarah made a big breakfast and Narij and T'Mari showed up to help clean and put up decorations.  
>Sometimes Kelam would show up and cock his head to side watching everyone run around as if trying to discern what was going on, but then he'd roll up into a ball on his bed and fall asleep.<p>

At noon the boys showed up and pitched the white gazebo tents outside, setting tables and covering them with the crisp white table cloths. All of the chairs had white seat covers and a gold ribbon tied to the backs. Once the girls set up the dinnerware and the crystal flutes everything looked extremely beautiful.  
>"Just wait till evening when the sun starts to set and we light up the white lanterns, and all the candles on the tables; it'll look even better than it does now." Narij said as they admired their work.<br>They all took a short break and then all the women ran upstairs to get changed and ready for the party while the men stayed downstairs.

"Which kurta are you wearing for tonight's event?" Malek asked Zareth he brought out his red and gold one. The red symbolizing the passion and love he had towards T'Mari and the gold symbolizing the richness that would come via their union.  
>"This one." He said as he pulled it out of the hallway closet. It was a deep emerald color with embroidered gold and silver vines on the sleeves and neck.<br>"Wow, that's actually very nice; I know you didn't pick that out, was that Sarah?" Denning asked, he was wearing a black and Navy blue Kurta. "She did, as well as for all the kurta's that will be used during the week of the wedding ceremony in India. They match her Sari's"

"Narij and I have selected colors in accordance to her families tradition. They are color coordinated except for 2 days, one of which she must wear all red and I must wear all white." Zhraan said as he grabbed his all gold Kurta.

Unlike the women, the men were dressed in no time and hanging around the living room. Once Malek sat down on the couch, Kelam got up and immediately tried to lay down on his lap.  
>"Oh no you don't!" He said as he got up and ran to the other side. Leaving the cat watching in confusion.<p>

"Zareth really! That cat is out of control!"

"It just wants to be friends with you." Denning said.

"It wants to leave fur all over my new Kurta is more like it!"

Just then the doorbell rang, and one of the doors upstairs opened revealing Sarah covered in a white robe and a wireless curling iron wrapped around the front of her chocolate tresses. "Could one of you guys get the door please? It's probably Narij's family."  
>Without waiting for a reply she closed the door again.<p>

"I'll get it." Malek said as he ran towards the door, he straightened his Kurta before opening the door, the rest of the guys had gotten up and were making their way towards the entrance. With a smile on his face, Malek opened the door.

"Hello I... "

"Oh look at him!" An older woman wearing a red, black and gold beautiful Sari said as she opened her arms and immediately grabbed Malek before giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Have you ever seen such an adorable Romulan? He actually looks Indian! Come! I bring gifts!" She said as she and another woman picked up two earthenware pots.

The rest of Narij's family came in, most of them immediately walking over to Zhraan who greeted them formally with the bending of his hands and bowing respectfully.  
>Once everyone was introduced, Narij's dad came over to Zareth. He folded his hands and bowed towards him. "I am grateful that you have leant us your home for this celebration."<br>Zareth bowed in turn. "I am honored."

The earthen pots were given to both Zhraan and Malek, the older woman instructing them. "You must open it when the women are by your side after the Misri ceremony. We must go now to the women, where are they?"  
>Zareth came around. "They're upstairs, I will show you."<br>"It is necessary we go to them, we must draw the henna patterns on their hands and feet before the ceremony starts."

The doorbell rang again and this time Denning opened it. A man wearing a chef hat and striped apron was there. "Is this the Zhraan and Malek engagement party?"

"The Misri ceremony!" Narij's dad corrected.

"Yeah uh.. where do we set up?"

"I'll show you." Denning said as he left out the front door.

"Hey, where's Deet?" Narij's dad asked. "He will be here, I'm surprised he's not here yet actually; let me go comm him and see where he is." But just as he was pulling his comm out the doorbell rang yet again and Zhraan opened it to find his brother on the other side wearing an olive green Kurta. "Sorry I'm late, we just finished signing the lease on the building for our new engineering firm."

"Deet!" Greeted Narij's dad warmly. Deet bowed in turn and immediately asked: "Is.. is.. Ankita here?"  
>"She is upstairs with her sister, If I may be so bold Deet, I would like to say that I believe she misses you, and that is all I will say; I leave the rest up to you." Deet nodded and then looked up to the room where the sound of giggling and laughter was coming from before returning to Narij's family.<p>

When the women finally came downstairs there were wolf whistles and gasps. Narij and T'Mari in particular looked like completely different people. They were adorned from head to toe with gold jewelry, their hands and feet covered with intricate red inked designs. Immediately almost everyone flocked over to them, but Zareth looked up when Sarah came discreetly down the steps wearing her simple emerald green Sari. Her hair was held up by a silver floral pin that cascaded down in curled rivulets. She wore smoky eye makeup that only brought out the magnificence of her beautiful eyes more. To him there was nothing more beautiful in existence, and not caring that others were around, he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

The Misri ceremony had been a wonderful affair. Narij's parents had exchanged floral garlands and then placed them over Narij and Zhraan and then over Malek and T'Mari wishing them great love and happiness. Then the engaged parties sat on the floor, cushioned by giant red silk pillows. Incense was lit and Narij's dad began a sort of chant, during the chant the men placed the formal engagement rings on the women.  
>All parties then stood and the earthenware pots from earlier were brought out.<br>T'Mari and Malek, Narij and Zhraan stood side by side and opened the pots at the same time to reveal several items inside.  
>There was wheat, coconut, betel nuts, rice and spices for prosperity.<br>Another chant was performed to close out the Misri ceremony and then the party got underway as traditional music began to play and food started being served.

"That was absolutely beautiful." Sarah said as she wiped her watery eyes. "It's too bad your parents couldn't come for this."

"They will be present in India though. We might have to go shopping again and help them pick out appropriate attire."

Sarah smirked. "I get the feeling you're developing a fondness for shopping."  
>"Only if you're there." He said as he looked deep into her eyes.<p>

Just a few tables away Deet was watching Ankita kiss her sister on the cheek, it was now or never. He thought to himself as he stood and made his way over to her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Oh my gosh, this ladoo thing is amazing!" Denning said as he filled his plate with six of them at once.  
>Narij's mom smiled as she looked up at him. "Tell me, why a handsome man like you not married yet?"<br>He laughed and blushed fiercely . "Why thank you, but I guess its because the right woman hasn't come along yet."  
>Narij's mom waved her hand in the air. "When you come to India for wedding, I will fix you up, don't worry."<br>Denning flashed her a wide smile. "So long as she knows how to make these things." He said as he picked one of the yellow pistachio crusted balls up. "Those are ladoo's, very common, I'm sure we can see to your requirements."

"Hey, have you seen Zareth? I want him to talk to Deet." Malek said as he grabbed some ladoo for himself.

"Uhh.. I'm pretty sure I saw him and Sarah go into the house about 30 minutes ago."

"Those animals! They never stop!" Malek exclaimed before making a hasty retreat into the house.  
>Narij's aunt was going around and lighting all the candles on the tables and then afterwards lighting the lanterns so that by the time Zareth and Sarah were walking back to the tent with Malek yelling after them, Sarah had grabbed hold of his arm and smiled broadly. "Narij was right, it looks so romantic!"<p>

"Hey?! Over here! Have you guys been listening to me at all? I'm serious Zareth!"

"Yes, yes, Malek, I will go speak to him now." Zareth said before turning to Sarah. "I will be back in a few minutes."

Zareth walked up to one of the tables, Deet was deep in conversation with Ankita. "Oh.. I'm sorry; I will come back another time." Zareth began.

"It's ok." Ankita said as she got up. "I have to speak to Narij about our plans anyway."She said before she got up and left.  
>"Please." Deet said as he motioned to the chair next to him. Zareth took a seat.<br>"Your brother tells me you're the best civil engineer starfleet has."  
>Zareth blinked. "I don't know about the best but I am a civil engineer, that is accurate."<p>

"What do you plan to do when you graduate Zareth?"

"A precise plan has not been discussed between my wife and I as of yet."

Deet smiled as he looked over to their house. "You have a nice home Zareth, a wife that loves you very much I can tell; even now she's looking at you." Zareth turned around to find it was true. She was sitting next to Narij's mother and father, she gave him a smile and small wave before going back to her conversation.

"It would be a shame for you to end up assigned to a mission in space that would take you away from all this."  
>Zareth remained silent, calculating what he should or shouldn't say to him just yet.<br>"I say this to you Zareth because I just signed the lease for our new building here in downtown for our engineering firm, the company known as Skylark enterprises."  
>Zareths eyes grew a fraction wider, but his face remained carefully neutral. "I am familiar with it. It is a very stable company from what I understand, and starfleet does business with them."<p>

"Exactly!" Deet said pointedly.

"I like you, I like your friends who are like family, plus given what Malek and Denning have told me I feel I would be honored if you'd accept an offer I have for you.

"I'm listening." Zareth replied.

"After you graduate I'd like to make you a member of my company. I need someone who knows the ins and the outs of Star Fleet, who can negotiate engineering terms and conditions for the improvement of our company, and most importantly, someone who lives nearby who can oversee business in downtown but can also travel and hold meetings with our customers over at Star Fleet. You understand however that it would mean having to essentially turn down any propositions to travel on any ongoing missions in space, you would be a direct SkyLark employee working alongside StarFleet."  
>He then pulled out his PADD and slid it over to him. "Here is a rough estimate of the credits you would make in a year, not counting bonuses on specialty projects."<p>

Zareth nodded, again careful not to show shock over the amount he had just been shown. "I thank you very much for having considered me as a serious candidate. I will tell you now that this is something I am sincerely interested in but I must speak to my wife about this first before I can give you a formal answer."

Deet smiled. "Absolutely, talk to her and then let me know what you have decided. You have what? A little over a year before you graduate?"  
>"1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days to be exact."<p>

"See?! That's exactly the kind of precision I need in my company! I do hope you accept, but there will be absolutely no hard feelings if you don't, I'm an easy going person Zareth, no pressure ok?"

Zareth nodded and Deet gave him a small pat on the back before he got up and returned to Ankita, she smiled when she looked up at him. It appeared that they were able to reconcile after all.


	48. Chapter 48

**I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to do an update, been working on a lot of other projects and then I went out of town for a while as well, but here is another installment; enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>"He offered you how many credits?" Sarah asked, her emerald eyed wide with shock.<p>

"I don't know about this Zareth, usually when something sounds too good to be true it usually is. You haven't even shown him your resume, references, test scores, and he's ready to hand you all those credits? And let's not forget the fact that we barely know him."

"Everything you've stated is logical Sarah, and I too thought those very same things but then I considered the fact that my brother has probably already supplied him with that information."

Sarah raised a brow. "Hmm.. yeah, you've got a point there."

"And.." He continued. "Denning spoke to him as well from what I understand. It is possible he feels that based on that he was ready to make the offer to me. I plan on meeting with Malek later today. I feel it necessary to do some research on my own concerning the company and Deet."

"I think that's a very good idea, that way you can feel secure about your decision. If this is a legitimate thing Zareth; I think it would be for our best interest; I mean.."  
>She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "It would make things very comfortable for us to start expanding our family."<p>

"You would not need to work." He replied. I could take care of all our needs.

"Yeah ok." She said as she rolled her eyes. "I would go crazy Zareth, I don't think that's going to happen; I need to keep busy somehow."

"But my Sarah. Recall the conversation we had with the doctor. The treatment you would require entails frequent visits to the clinic, lots of bed rest, not to mention the fact we do not know how your body will react to a hybrid pregnancy; all things must be considered."

She sighed loudly as she thought about it. "Let's worry about all that when we get to that stage Zareth. Right now we have to focus on semester finals and planning for our trip to India."

"That is logical." He replied.

They were both pretty busy for the following weeks. When they weren't in class they were studying and when they weren't studying they were going over wedding details with the others. It was an exhausting whirlwind of activity at times but they were both happy since they took part in these events together.

One Friday evening Zareth met up with Malek and T'Mari. Their training had finally concluded and a small ceremony was going to be held in one of the conference halls followed by a dinner reception.

"Where's your woman Zareth? I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't see the two of you together." Malek said.

"She is finishing up her project in the lab; she will be here shortly." Zareth replied.

"Alright, well T'Mari and I better go, the ceremony is going to start soon, we'll meet here afterwards."

Zareth nodded and made his way over to the audience seating. He saved the seat next to him and began looking around to see if he could spot Sarah, she was running late and he was starting to worry.

Admiral Croft approached the stage, smiling down on the group seated in the front rows as he began his speech. Zareth was only half listening, his eyes focused more on the doors leading to the auditorium.

"You will now be a role model for all Star Fleet cadets and that is a tremendous responsibility." The admiral said. He looked towards Malek and raised a brow, as expected Malek gave a slight smirk but then his face became neutral again.

Then the sound of a door opening came from the back, he turned his head immediately and saw Sarah tiptoeing inside, looking around the audience. He called for her through their bond and she immediately turned her head and looked directly at him and smiled. Her hair was disheveled by the wind and she looked tired from a long day but to him she was still the most beautiful being.

He got up immediately and joined her in the back hallway.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" She whispered.

"I was beginning to worry for your well being. Are you alright?"

"Sure I'm fine." She looked around to make sure nobody was looking before she pulled him down for a searing kiss. She was about to pull away but he instead wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. The echo of Admiral Croft's voice could be felt against the wall that Sarah was now leaning against.  
>This time when they separated there was a scrawny looking cadet standing only a few feet away and looking at them with wide eyes, particularly at Zareth.<p>

He cleared his throat before leading Sarah back to their seats as if nothing was out of the norm, the scrawny cadet's eyes following them all the way.

During the reception they all sat together at a table. T'Mari and Sarah had gone to the womens room and left Malek and Zareth to talk amongst themselves.

"I had one of the architects from my old ship do some research with regards to Deet's company. He owns a sizable amount of real estate in Deblis 7 and the company has a good reputation there which leads me to believe that he most definitely has a very successful company for as you know, not just anyone can put up a business there."

Malek picked up his glass of scotch and took a sip.

"I think this is an opportunity of a lifetime for you and Sarah. Even if later on for some reason you decide you don't want to work there anymore, you'd still be able to say you worked for skylark and that alone would be enough to get you hired anywhere you wish. You'd have the convinience to stay in the magnificent house I built for you and begin baby making production with Sarah. What more could you ask for?" He asked as he patted Zareth on the back.

Zareth nodded, "The choice seems logical."

Just then Denning came into the reception hall, a large smile lit his face as he pointed over at Malek. "Come here you son of a Vulcan; the man of the hour!"

"Denning! Let me get you a drink!" He said as he stood up.

Denning smiled over at Zareth. "I bet you're proud of your brother, he actually stuck with the program and is now officially part of Star Fleet and then later this month we're all off to India."

"To find you a woman Denning." Malek said. "Who will make ladoo's day and night!"

Denning patted his stomach and laughed. "I don't know if I really need it but they're certainly delicious!" His eyes lit up suddenly as Sarah and T'Mari came back to the table. "And here they come gentlemen, the most lovely women in the academy."

"I will not argue with those words." T'Mari said as she sat down, Malek smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. "See why I love her? She's so modest! Just like me!"

A man with a tray came over and Denning quickly took the drinks and passed one over to everyone before lifting his own up in the air.

"A toast! To Malek and T'Mari who are now official staff members, and will also be joined in matrimony. Let this be the beginning of many wonderful years to come."

Malek smirked as he took T'Mari's hand under the table. "It certainly shall be."

**Next Chapter is the long awaited double wedding! **


	49. Chapter 49

**Ok kids, so this is the start of the wedding. I'm going to divide it into several chapters, I'm thinking maybe three in total because there's just too much I want to have happen!  
>Hope you enjoy! <strong>

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><p>Delhi, India. That's where everyone was for the long awaited wedding between Malek and T'Mari and Narij and Zhraan.<p>

Day one was a whirlwind of activity. Sarah had been absolutely amazed with Narij's beautiful home, and wanted to take a tour of the property in its entirety but apart from Narij's family members running all over the place and busily decorating and working; Zareth had informed her that they needed to leave in order to greet his parents.

Malek joined them as they took a shuttle to the pick-up point.

"What do you think our parents will say when they see how this is all going to turn about? I was very vague when I explained to them the traditions of an Indian wedding especially since they were not pleased with the fact that it's going to last six days."

Zareth raised a brow. "I believe that it is safe to say that they will be content with the sheer fact that you are indeed finally settling down with a Vulcan female; the wedding details will probably not be of much consequence to them."

They arrived and didn't even wait five minutes before the shuttle craft from Vulcan arrived.

Sarah was really impressed with how elegant their robes were, she had been worried how they would stand out with everyone wearing Sari's and Kurtas aside from them and then realized that it probably wouldn't be an issue.

"T'nar pak sorat y'rani my son." Zareth's father greeted, he then turned to Malek. "And to you, so it has finally happened; and where is your wife to be?"

"She says we shouldn't see each other until the ceremony; she's getting dressed and there about six women doing henna on her right now."  
>The father raised a brow and then turned to Sarah. "I trust you and my son are doing well."<p>

She looked up at Zareth with intense love as she replied. "We're wonderful; I couldn't have asked for a better husband."  
>He raised a brow but kept a perfectly neutral expression as he replied: "I share the same sentiment my wife."<p>

"Sentiments!" Malek shrieked. "Oh the outrage! Did you hear that father?!" He continued to rant towards Zareth, but then Sarah jumped in, and so the bickering began.

The father's expression did not seem one bit amused as he turned to his wife and whispered. "His bonding with a Vulcan female appears to not have changed him one bit my wife."

She nodded, there was a hint of a smile on her lips. "So it appears my husband."

They went back to the house where they were introduced to Narij's parents as well as many of her uncles and aunts before they were invited to drink tea with them.

"We should join them." Zareth said to Sarah.

"Uhhh.. you go ahead, They're decorating the mandap outside with flowers and they need all the help they can get."

Zareth watched her go and then looked to where his parents were. His father in particular seemed to be in deep discussion with Narij's dad. He then looked back to where Sarah had left and followed her outside where he saw that she was indeed right. Some of Narij's cousins were up on ladders and tying flowers to form the tent where the ceremony would be conducted. The path towards the mandap was littered with different colored rose petals and he couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the beauty of it all.

He then saw Sarah begin to wrap some long stem white flowers and quickly came over to her.  
>She smiled up at him.<br>"Zareth, I thought you were going to be with your parents."

"You stated that you needed all the help you could get; so I am here. At any rate, it seems my parents are heavily engaged in conversation; my presence is not required." He replied.

She gave him a coy smile and handed him a flower. "Well then; let's get to work shall we?"

* * *

><p>There were about 10 people who helped to construct the mandap so it was done before the two hour mark.<p>

Then began the decorations of the Doli that Narij and T'Mari were going to be carried in, it really was a lot of work, but they all did it happily.

Before long Narij's parents were chasing after everyone. "It is time, please take your seats." They instructed.  
>Zareth's parents, Narij's and Deet sat in the front row Sarah and Zareth were in the second row sitting next to Denning who was sporting a silver Kurta and many beads around his neck.<p>

"Where did you get those?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, umm.. several women in Narij's family gave them to me; really nice isn't it?"

Sarah looked up and saw that one woman in particular was eying Denning most curiously; she contained a giggle as she turned back around. The music had started, a song called: 'Teri Ore' which apparently was very popular in Indian weddings.

Everyone became quiet as four men carrying the Doli slowly made their way down the floral isle and towards the mandap where both Zhraan and Malek were waiting. There was also a small Indian man inside who apparently was going to conduct the first ceremony. He was wearing a very elegant Sherwani. Try as she might Sarah couldn't get over how beautiful everything and everyone was.

Soon the Doli passed by their side of the isle. T'Mari looked perfectly calm but Narij seemed a bit anxious. Their bodies seemed to be covered with jewelry ranging from the bindi jewel that dangled exquisitely from their forehead to the lehenga bangles on their arms, to the ankle jewels; it really was exquisite.

Malek puffed up proudly when the men had set them down and T'Mari rose up out of the doli to take her place beside him.  
>Zhraan in turn smiled happily at Narij as both parties faced the small man who began the sermon.<p>

Sarah watched in awe as he spoke; she didn't understand a word of it, but it was still amazing. Then the parents were asked to join them and give their marriage blessing.

The ceremony ended when the inside of a small black kettle was lit with fire. Both couples were instructed to walk around the fire seven times to conclude the ceremony.

The final instruction they were given was that they kiss, Sarah looked over at Zareth with anticipation, they had both sort of made a bet to see how they would kiss in front of all those people.  
>To Sarah's delight Malek did not disappoint. He took T'Mari in his arms and exclaimed loudly:<p>

"The only woman I've ever loved is finally my wife!"  
>He then dipped her in a very flashy and very open-mouthed kiss that even caused his mother's eyes to go wide. His father however, did not look the least bit amused.<br>Even after T'Mari and Malek had finished, Zhraan and Narij were still lip-locking. Malek picked up a couple of rose petals from the ground and threw it at them: "HEY! Get a room!"

"With pleasure!" Zhraan replied as he scooped up Narij in his arms and disappeared towards the house.

Sarah winked at Zareth. "You owe me a date when we get back Zareth; any place of my choosing."

"I should've known he would create a spectacle, even in front of our parents and guests." Zareth replied.

Music began playing again and everyone made their way towards the terrace of the second floor where many tables were now being filled with pots, and trays of food.  
>Denning rubbed his hands together with delight, there was such an array of food, and ladoo's; he was glad that he had eaten very light that day.<p>

Sarah whispered to Zareth: "I'm just going to help them bring out the food ok? I'll be right back."

Zareth nodded as he took a cup of floral tea; he was becoming quite fond of the variety they had there; he and Sarah would have to go shopping before they went back home.  
>He turned around to see Deet approaching.<p>

"So; your brother is now officially married; it is regrettable his family was not present."

Deet sighed. "They are very stubborn people. To them there is nothing more important than keeping true to a traditional keth; Zhraan has gone against all of that and married the woman he truly loves; I am happy for him."  
>He then turned to look at Ankita who was busy placing a pot on one of the tables. "I only hope that I should be so fortunate one day."<p>

Zareth looked over at the direction of his stare and raised a brow. "I believe it is very possible. When I resided on Vulcan; I never imagined I would one day be bonded to the most amazing female specimen and living on Earth. Life indeed can turn out to deliver pleasant surprises."

They both turned as they heard the sounds of Narij yelling from inside of the house.

"Wait till I get my hands on you Malek!" followed by his reply of:

"What?! I thought that door led to the bathroom! How was I to know you two were getting busy already!"

Zareth raised his eyebrows and lifted his cup of tea towards a shocked Deet.

"Welcome to the family."

**Part 2 of the wedding coming soon!**


	50. Chapter 50

**I took the afternoon off and what do I do? House work? No, Much needed sleep? No. ****Catch up with my stories? YES!**

**I'm so proud! This Chapter is the BIG 50 ! How bout I just document their whole lives?**

**Ok, this is going be the last chapter with regards to the wedding. After this they go back home; yay!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>It was the fifth day of the wedding festivities.<p>

Zareth and Sarah had gotten up bright and early to take a public shuttle into town.  
>Sarah sighed loudly as she leaned back against her seat.<p>

"I'm so worn out from all of these ceremonies and parties. I don't understand how Narij's family still has so much energy to do it all."

"It is a custom that they have probably already acclimated themselves to." Zareth replied. "But I agree; it can be exhausting."

"Say, how are your parents handling it? They always look the same no matter what. It's hard to know how they're really handling everything." She thought about it for a moment before continuing.

"Come to think of it they sort of disappear sometimes, like yesterday! They just vanished and then when I saw them again your mother seemed more energetic, if that is the proper word for it. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck similar to the one you gave me almost as if she were trying to hide..."

Zareth raised a brow. "Did it finally click Sarah?"

"Oh gross Zareth! They're your parents, they're..."

"Very much involved with one another." He finished for her. "It is important and a sign of a healthy bond."

She looked over at his face and was suddenly overcome with peals of laughter, so much that the few passengers on the shuttle were giving them odd looks.

He cleared his throat loudly, but it didn't stop her from laughing. She was currently clutching her stomach and tears were forming in her eyes.

"I fail to see the humor in your discovery."

"Oh Zareth, this explains so much! Now I know where you get it from!"

He still had a neutral look on his face. She could tell through their bond that he didn't like how she was reacting to this. She also felt frustration but that wasn't new; she had been feeling it from him since the first day they got to India.

"Oh come on Zareth! You really don't find it funny that the love-freak gene passed on to you and Malek?"

"Nothing about what you and I do is freakish. You must also allow me to point out that you Sarah, do not fall behind by much, as you enjoy our interactions just as much if not more."

"Zareth; I'm not saying it's a bad thing!"

He raised a brow. "It certainly sounds like it from my end." He then folded his arms in front of him and made a face that almost looked like a pout. It was so endearing to her; she wondered if he knew how cute he looked right now. At the same time however, it did concern her since he was usually very much in control and this display clearly demonstrated he was having trouble keeping it in check.

"Zareth I love you, you know I do; I know that you feel it every time I look at you. I'm sorry that I termed it that way; I won't ever again." She then gave him a devilish grin.

"There's no need to get sassy ok? Are we good?"

"I was not... Sassy? I am not capable of such emotion."

"Really?" She asked with a wide grin.

"Even though you're worn out by the festivities too, and don't say you're not but I know that you are; I can feel it! Then there's also the fact that you and I haven't…. Since we got here; you're like a Vulcan time bomb!  
>It's why you're cranky all the time now. I'm still trying to find the logical reasoning behind that."<p>

"Crankiness is a human emotion, and I do not feel comfortable being sexually intimate since we are currently residing in Narij's family's home. There are no locks on the door and it is apparent that in their culture there is no such thing as 'knocking' before entering someone else's chamber."

"It didn't stop your parents." She shot back.

He sighed loudly and folded his arms even tighter as he looked ahead. It was obvious that the conversation was over.  
>Sarah didn't take it to heart though, she knew that the idea of a 6 day wedding was something he wasn't fond of from the start, add to the fact that the room they were staying at had paper thin walls, and they had almost no privacy since Narij's huge family was everywhere when he'd try for a moment alone. She had no idea where his parents were heading off to without being detected. They were apparently experts.<p>

"Don't worry." She said as she placed her hand gently on his thigh. "I'll make it up to you when we get back home tomorrow." He looked at her hand and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath.

Her supposed words of comfort didn't reassure him, it only seemed to make him more distressed. He didn't physically show it; but she felt it like a rush in her mind and then in her core. She decided to simply drop the subject entirely.

They got off the shuttle and made their way through the open air markets.  
>They purchased some teas, and spices. Zareth had stumbled on to a pepper stall; one in particular that would probably now become his favorite. He had eaten the entire pepper and had only felt a mind heat. On the other hand; all Sarah had done was give the pepper a light lick and she thought she was seriously going to die.<p>

Her face was flushed and she was clutching on to him. "Oh my gosh, how did you? Did you really eat that entire pepper?! You're insane!"

He passed her some naan for her to eat, it would lessen the burn.  
>In her haste to be rid of the fiery discomfort, she didn't realize how she had been clutching on to him.<br>He closed his eyes and after a few moments opened them again and took off walking swiftly.

"Zareth!" She called out to him trying to catch up. He turned around and grabbed her hand, but didn't lessen his pace. She had to run in order to keep up with him.

"Zareth you're scaring me, what's wrong?! Is it the pepper?"

He didn't answer; They quickly boarded a shuttle and Zareth asked the driver. "Where is the nearest hotel residence?"

"Up in New Delhi; it'll only take a few minutes for us to get there."

"Please drive us there." He said and hastily paid the credits, his hands shook as he held out the card. Even the driver looked up at him oddly.  
>Sarah in turn smirked, she didn't know why he hadn't come up with this idea before, or maybe he had and found it distasteful; either way he obviously didn't care now.<br>When they finally sat down Sarah didn't say a word, she was too busy trying to brace herself for what was to come; a smile formed on her face as she thought this.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Where the heck is my brother and his female? The final ceremony is going to start and they're not here!" Malek exclaimed.

"They said they were going to the market." Narij replied.

"How long ago was that?" Zhraan asked.

"Umm.. seven hours ago." She said. Your brother is a big boy Malek and a Vulcan to boot, he can take care of himself and Sarah just fine. Sarah just probably got side tracked with all the clothes in the shops. I'm sure they'll be back with loads of shopping bags."

The final ceremony started without Sarah and Zareth, but just as it had concluded and the banquet of food started being served, they arrived at the party.

"FINALLY!" Exclaimed Malek. "Where the heck were you guys? Sarah, why are you wrapped up like a mummy? Zareth! I thought we had agreed we were all going to go shopping together before we left tomorrow! You took all that time and you each are only carrying one bag."

"There are many shops in town. It took longer than we anticipated." Zareth replied in his back to normal; cool state. Sarah tried not to laugh but couldn't hide a smirk.

"I saw that Sarah!" Malek pointed out. "You guys did something else! What did you do? Buy a magic carpet?"

"Those aren't real Malek! That's so demeaning to my culture!" Narij argued.

"T'Mari, I seriously don't know how you..." her comm began to beep and she picked it up.

"Hey girl; yeah no it's ok, the 6th day ceremony just ended. Uh huh.. uh huh.. Oh my gosh! Daren from our bio class asked Z'Urka out!" She exclaimed towards T'Mari before going back to her comm. "Wait, wait, when did he do it? I want all the details!"

T'Mari looked over at Narij and asked: "What was his state of dress when he did this?  
>They both walked away from everyone, leaving Malek with his mouth open.<p>

"Did you see that? They rather gossip about some pimple-faced geek and a Klingon than be with me! Blue! Let's go teach them what for!"

He turned around and Zhraan was already gone, he was approaching his brother Deet and Ankita. Deet had his arm around Ankita and she had a wide smile on her face.

"Malek, where are your parents?" Sarah asked with a smirk.

"Hey! That's a good question! I'll go find out!" and then he was gone.

"It's finally over Sarah said to Zareth."

"Thankfully." He replied as he picked up two cups of tea and handed her one.

"Our outing however has worked up an appetite in me."

She smirked in turn. "I'm sure it did. Come on, let's go get some food."

They had just finished gathering their food and were about to sit down when they saw Malek run across from the first floor all the way towards then entrance of the house.

Sarah looked at his form and then back up at Zareth. "He said something but I didn't catch it."

"He said: Help me; I've gone blind."

Sarah thought about it for a moment and burst out laughing.  
>"I think he found your parents."<p>

Zareth raised a brow. It would seem he did.


	51. Chapter 51

Coming back home from India had been a profound relief, particularly to Zareth - that was until they stepped off of the shuttle and he felt the radical change in temperature.  
>Sarah looked at her PADD and confirmed that they've had been hit with a cold snap.<p>

"I only hope that our plants have not died." He replied.

Unfortunately when they got home, a lot of the plants were wilted and already starting to turn brown since they had not taken the necessary precautions to protect them.  
>Sarah could tell that he was disappointed since it was nice to go out back and simply take the veggies and herbs they needed and they wouldn't be able to do that now.<p>

They had a few days left before the start of the new semester so they took that evening to unpack their things, do some necessary house work and relax afterwards.  
>They were sitting on the couch, Sarah was leaning against Zareth as little Kelam climbed up to the couch and curled up into a ball and fell asleep on her lap.<br>She caught Zareth looking outside and frowned.

"Zareth, have you thought about getting a green house? That way you wouldn't have to worry about weather being an issue in the future."

He turned his head and stared at her before replying: "That is an excellent idea."

He pulled out his PADD and began looking at several of them that were available for purchase, but he'd make a 'hmm' type noise whenever he stumbled upon some kind engineering flaw in it like:

"This one does not have adequate insulation, and the paneling is uneven, you can tell from looking at it."

"Why don't you just build it then." Sarah suggested.  
>"It would probably be more economic and would meet your specifications."<p>

Again he stared at her. "I find that this trip to India has done wonders for your intellect."  
>She slapped him playfully.<p>

"I'm just stating the obvious out loud, and I'm sure that whatever you build would probably be ten times better than any of that stuff."

That morning had been surprisingly warm so they took advantage of the change in weather to head towards the hardware store.  
>Zareth had made a checklist of all the supplies they would need. As normal as being at the hardware store was, he felt something odd that he couldn't quite place.<br>He looked over at Sarah who had on her tight fit jeans and work shirt; there was definitely nothing wrong there, except that it could prove to be a distraction at some point during the day if he let it; he probably would but only to please her.

He then looked at their surroundings, and his eyes fell towards a tall, slender woman with dark hair and sun glasses. She briefly glanced at them but then continued on her way. Really, it was nothing out of the norm so he pushed it away from him mind.

They were just finishing with the last of their supplies when Sarah motioned towards a shelf filled with different kinds of seeds, a lot of them were on sale so they both grabbed almost every variety available. Zareth was just about to place them in their cart when he looked up and again he spotted the same woman from before looking directly at them. This time she turned around swiftly and practically ran away at having been caught.

"Zareth?.. Hellooooo, Earth to Zareth; what are you looking at?" Sarah asked and looked at the direction he was staring at but didn't see anything.

"There was a woman there looking at us."

"Huh?" She asked as she held the seeds in her hands.

"An older woman was.. nevermind; I doubt it is of very much importance."

Sarah smirked. "Looking at us, or looking at you?"

"I am unsure." He replied honestly.

"Well, they can look all they want but your sir, belong to me."

Zareth offered her a small smile. "I will never argue with that my Sarah."

They got to work right away. Zareth being the one to instruct on how things should be done, Sarah helped out with whatever she could but when they both got hungry, she snuck back inside the house to prepare their mid-day meal.  
>She had made a medley of various roast squash, a side of quinoa, and a large watercress salad.<br>They took a small break after their meal but then immediately got back to work.

Now they were working on the bottom frames. Sarah was sawing a piece of the timber so that it would measure 75x70. Zareth would then place it on the side of the middle mullions. Trouble was that in order to do this Sarah was bending over quite a bit. Her work shirt would ride up her back and expose the wonders of what her tight fit jeans did for her body.

She turned over from her work and smiled up at him. "Why did you stop working?"

He blinked and looked down at the wood panel he was holding, he had indeed stopped for a quite a bit of time to admire his beautiful wife.  
>He could feel the flush in his cheeks and her giggling confirmed that she already knew what her attire was doing to him.<p>

She raised her brow at him suggestively. "We could take a break you know." She put down her saw and walked over to lie down on grass just outside where they were building. She turned over to him and patted the grassy area next to her.

He swallowed hard but then looked at all they still needed to do. "There is still much that needs to be done."

She continued to look at him and then turned over on the grass so she was facing upwards. She never took her eyes off of him as she began to unbutton her work shirt.

He tried to continue doing the work regardless but his eyes suddenly acquired a mind of their own, betraying him every few seconds to sneak peeks at his undressing wife.

She had unbuttoned everything and opened her shirt wide to show off her black lacy bra, the one that enhanced her cleavage beautifully. The sight of her creamy flesh paired with her sending images to him via their bond finally had him put down his hammer and hastily take off his tool belt.

A wide smirk formed on her face as she realized she had won; she knew that she would.

He bent over and swooped her into his arms before carrying her back into the house.

"Only fifteen minutes." He whispered huskily.

She giggled in turn. "Of course."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Denning sat at the bar by himself.

Why couldn't he catch a break? He had met various women in his lifetime.

Different species, different races, colors, customs and he just couldn't seem to land one.

His recent trip to India had been alright and there was one woman whom he hit it off with alright but the problem was that he kept expecting to feel that intense desire and overwhelming 'knocked off his feet' sensation he had felt with.. Yeah.. It always went back to her, always went back to Sarah, but Sarah was married. _Happily married _ and probably always would be.

He took a deep drink out of his beer mug before slamming it back down. He nodded his head towards the bar tender who quickly moved to get him another.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Came a female voice that sounded oddly familiar.

He turned to see who it was and even though he didn't recognize her; before him was a gorgeous specimen of a female. A tall slender woman, with gorgeous hair like silk, and she seemed to be about his age. His eyes grew wide when he looked into hers, a beautiful rare emerald color that he had only ever seen in…

"Hi." She said as she slanted her head to the side, her shiny locks of dark hair drifting in the same direction.

"I'm Linda."


	52. Chapter 52

**I know I've slowed down with regards to this story but I hope to pick up the pace again.  
>I've been sick lately so when I'm not resting; I've been working on this story particularly, and this chapter will hopefully make up for the recent lack of activity. I hope to update again in the next couple of days and keep things going at a nice flow.<strong>

**Recipes mentioned in this chapter were taken from VegParadise website. A really great source of info for those who are Vegans or just want to cook healthy, the rice dish in particular is really delicious.**

* * *

><p>"There he is!" Denning said with a smile as he set his mug of beer down. "The honeymooning Romulan is back!"<p>

Malek jumped up on the bar stool beside Denning with a smirk on his face. Both were wearing their black Star Fleet staff uniforms as they had both decided to meet up after work for a few drinks like they use to.

"I couldn't really tell you since we hardly ever left our suite." He said smugly. Denning it turn gave him a playful shove. "Why? Cause T'Mari was on the phone with Narij the whole time?"

Malek tried to not chuckle but was unsuccessful. The bartender came around and smiled at them both before turning to Malek. "Hey; it's the married Romulan, what can I get you, your usual?"

Malek gave a hard pat to Denning's shoulder as he replied: "Yes; and go ahead and put it on Denning's tab, he's in a generous mood today."

"Coming right up Rommie." The bar tender replied as he wandered off to get him his drink. Malek looked over at Denning and smirked.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you met someone Denning. You haven't stopped smiling since I walked in here." When he didn't reply Malek's eyes grew wide. "Son of a Romulan's mother! You did meet somebody! Is she humanoid?"

Denning scoffed. "Of course she's humanoid and I tell ya; she is a stunning marvel of beauty; I really hope things work out between us; I think she could be the one Malek; she's even going to cook for me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Malek replied as the bar tender placed his double of scotch in front of him. Malek took a sip before continuing. "That's a very serious proclamation coming from you; just who exactly is this woman anyway? It's not one of the women from India is it?"

"Nope." Denning said as he took another sip of his beer. "I met her here actually about a week ago, and we've already been out on one date, and we're going to go out again tomorrow."

Malek chuckled. "Well, what does she look like?"

"oh no, no, no, no, no, my Romulan friend, all in good time, all in good time." Denning replied.

"Hmm… I guess that means she's ugly. She human?"

"Yes, she is human and to answer your first question… well; hopefully you will see for yourself and make your observation then, her name is Linda and she's an acting teacher."

Malek lifted his drink. "Well; here's to you friend; I honestly wish for you to be happy with a good woman."

Denning lifted his glass in turn. "I hope so too, and I think she might just be the one." He said before they clinked their glasses together.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth had stopped by the florist on his way home that afternoon.

Sarah was going to fix a special romantic dinner that night.

He had gotten a dozen red roses, the florist had told him that was a classic symbol of love for human females, but then he also obtained a bouquet of peonies. They had a magnificent scent and he knew that if he trimmed the roots in a certain way and then left them soaking in a root stimulant solution he had back at the green house there was an 82.7% chance that a plant would take root in the soil.

Flowers in hand he walked quickly across the street, not noticing the tall woman walking steadily behind him. He turned the corner of the street and quickened his pace when he realized he looked at the time and realized he was running late. The woman behind began to also speed up in her pace as she watched him disappear up the corner.

"These Vulcans!" She murmured before she broke out into a jogging pace and finally rounded the corner trying to catch her breath as she was not use to running much, but to her dismay, he was no longer anywhere in sight.  
>She quickly spun around and took off her sunglasses, desperately trying to see where the Vulcan had gone but not seeing him anywhere in the busy streets.<p>

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Zareth got home, the only source of light illuminating their home was a trail of candles leading him up the stairs. He looked down towards the floor and noticed that there were various colored flower petals also leading up the stairs. He cocked his head to the side as logic dictated that he too needed to go upstairs. He carefully climbed up while he tried to arrange the flowers in its best presentable fashion. He had to admit that there was a sort of delicious anticipation building as he reached the top of the stairs since he did not know what he would find. That entire day he had not seen Sarah and even though he had not said as much; he was very much looking forward to their dinner and time together.

He saw that the trail of flowers went in two different directions, one went to their bedroom and the other to the balcony. Logic dictated that since it was the mealtime, she would probably be outside with dinner prepared and yet he completely bypassed the balcony and went directly to their bedroom because he knew her enough by now where even though things were presented in a logical manner; it would probably be the opposite.  
>He carefully tried to turn the knob of the door but found that it would not open.<p>

"Hm…" He said to himself slightly annoyed. Then he proceeded out to the balcony again and this time the door opened and before him was a beautifully set table. It was already dark outside so the candles illuminated the table and gave it a golden hue. He turned towards the right and immediate saw Sarah walking up towards him wearing a beautiful burgundy knee length dress. Her hair was curled at the ends and she wore light makeup. He inhaled deeply and realized she was wearing perfume. The scent of gardenia's working his senses as his pupils dilated. Sarah would never cease to amaze him, and he would never stop desiring her, she was indeed the ideal woman who constantly exceeded his expectations.

"Welcome home my husband." She purred as she wrapped her arm around his neck. She leaned forward as if she were about to kiss him but then her eyes flickered up as she heard the crinkle of plastic behind his back. "You're hiding something from me." She said playfully as she gently stroked his ear and then took a step back and watched him bring around the enormous bouquet of flowers.  
>She covered let out a joyful laugh and quickly took the flowers from him.<p>

"You're so thoughtful Zareth; that's why I fell in love with you." She said as she gave him a chaste kiss that he desperately wanted to deepen, his lips were still moving even as she pulled back and again he had to restrain his desires.

"I'll be right back, I'll put them in vases and.." She looked at the peonie's and laughed. "Except for these, I'll place them in root enhancer, these will be lovely in the greenhouse ."  
>He raised a brow as she had thought the same thing he had when he had first seen them.<p>

When she came back she had was holding two flutes of a milk type liquid. She carefully held up the glass and the aroma filled his senses yet again.

"Sarah.. I suggest that if you wish for us to enjoy our meal; I should probably drink this afterwards."

She took a sip and licked her lips. "Mmm.. but it's so good."

He raised a brow and she laughed.. "Ok.. ok.. after dinner." She said as she took the chocolate liquor away from him.

"I really do want you to enjoy dinner because I made something special I got out of a gourmet cookbook"

She brought out two covered plates and carefully placed them on the table. She then giggled when she saw he made no move to sit down and was just looking at her.

"Come on Zareth; the food is going to get cold." She said bashfully as she placed strands of her hair behind her ear.  
>Zareth forced himself to turn away from her and sit down; it had indeed been a prudent idea to forgo the chocolate liquor for now otherwise they probably would've never even made it to the table.<p>

They sat down across from each other, Zareth looked at her once more before he lifted his cover off his plate and was overcome with the colors and wondrous smells of delicious food.

"This looks marvelous Sarah, and quite different from anything you've made before."

She smiled tenderly at him as she replied.

"In front of you is 'Persian rice with savory pistachio sauce.' It has things like zucchini, basil, marjoram, and unsalted pistachios. The sauce is made with soymilk, various Persian spices and then garnished with currants and more chopped pistachios. One the side I made a broad bean ragout and that has tomato, zucchini, onions, cilantro, and I even chopped in some jalapeno's just for you." She smirked as she looked up at him. "Dessert however will be served after dinner in the bedro..."

Before she could even finish, he began eating his food. Her eyes grew wide at the unexpected reaction of her words but then she began laughing jovially.

After his first bite he nodded. "This is exquisite Sarah and I appreciate your time and efforts on these dishes." He said as he continued to eat. He then looked up as if to say: "Well? Hurry up and eat."

She picked up her fork and scooped up some of the colorful rice. The combination of the all the various flavors came alive in her mouth and she couldn't suppress a moan of delight.  
>Zareth looked up at her and graced her with a small smile.<p>

"I have to say Zareth; I am a pretty damn good cook if I do say so myself."

His small smile turned into a burning stare as he replied. "You are that my Sarah and so much more."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Denning made sure that he looked good as he pushed his hair to the side in his car mirror. Then he eagerly stepped out with a small bouquet of perennial flowers and with a spring in his steps made his way towards Linda's home; she was going to prepare dinner for him.

He rang the doorbell and immediately she appeared with her beautiful smile and bright emerald eyes.  
>"Denning! Please come in." She said he looked around at the rather lavish home and nodded his head in approval, it was exquisitely decorated.<p>

"These are for you Linda." He said as he held them out to her. She gasped in wonder as she took them from him.

"This is so thoughtful of you Denning; It's not a wonder you don't have dozens of women falling in love with you!"

"Please, it's the least I can do since you're treating me to a home cooked meal; you have a fine home here Linda."

"Thank you, decorating is one of my hobbies really." The computer chimed and she quickly turned around and headed towards the kitchen. "That's the roast; I'll be right back."

As she was tending to the food he looked around at the artwork and then walked further down the hallway to a small alcove that was decorated with posters and old playbills from Broadway plays. He blinked and smiled with astonishment when he realized that the leading actress in one of the plays was none other than Linda herself. She was dressed up as Christine Daae from phantom of the opera. She must've been younger then, but she still had flawless skin, brunette hair and incredible eyes. He cocked his head to the side as he experienced a sense of déjà vu. Was it possible that he had known Linda before? It was the oddest thing that he simply couldn't place.

"Dinner's ready!" Linda called from the dining room and before he could delve any further on the subject; he turned away, eagerly anticipating what was sure to be a fantastic meal if the smells drifting towards him were of any indication.

**Hmmm… Who is this Linda person?... Stay tuned to find out!**


	53. Chapter 53

**Thank you all for your continued support and reviews!  
><strong>

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><p>Dinner with Linda had been more than Denning could ever hope for. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she was exceedingly smart with a wicked sense of humor, how a woman like that was single was beyond his comprehension.<br>She was also the first woman to really take interest in his work. She had so many questions regarding his job, and what he did for Star Fleet, she asked about his students and if he had come across any odd couples. Denning thought nothing odd about this as he tried to consider what an odd couple was.

"There are really no odd couples that I can think of, do you mean in romantic sort of way?" He had asked.

"Yes, for example; I am still so incredibly impressed that humans are now bonding with members of other species." She had replied.

Denning had laughed in turn. "That really isn't considered odd now in days Linda, as a matter of fact; a lot of people probably have at one point dated someone outside their species. The first that comes to mind is my close friend Malek. He's a Vulcan but you would never think so with the way he acts and back when he was single he swore up and down that he would never marry a Vulcan and just recently he got back from his honeymoon with.. guess what."

She smiled in turn. "A Vulcan."

"Yup." Denning replied. "His brother Zareth however. He's the type that you'd think would only go for a Vulcan female, and yet he's married to the brightest human student I have ever had the honor to teach; Sarah Williams."

Denning loved the way her eyes lit up with excitement, it actually felt really good to talk about his pupils to someone who was actually interested.

"Tell me more about them," She urged. "They get along well as a couple?"

He raised a brow. "You kidding? They're inseparable, sometimes I wonder whether they're tied to the hip."

She smiled as he said this. "It's good to hear of successful relationships... So.. You said that this Sarah Williams was your best pupil, that is a great compliment seeing as you probably have many students."

"But she is deserving of the title. Even though she's married, she still balances her school work, and other duties as well as being a wife, it's not an easy task and it was especially difficult after she lost the baby."

When he said this, Linda had been taking a drink of water, only to practically spit it all over him.  
>She choked and coughed while Denning began patting her on the back. "Are you alright?! " He asked with concern.<p>

"Yes; I'm so sorry; I'm so embarrassed!" She said as she tried to wipe the water away from him with a paper towel.

"It's only water." He replied as he too began to wipe away at his face.

"So... you were saying that she lost the baby?" She quickly continued to ask.

"Yeah uhhh.. I'm sorry but; can we talk about something else? It's not really a memory that I'm really fond of." Denning replied.

It was too quick for Denning to notice but Linda had frowned at his response only to replace it instantly with a smile.

"I understand completely; let's talk about you Denning." She said as she flashed him her beautiful smile.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth had been assigned to do engineering work on a new project called Gideon II. As an assignment in Zhraan's class, he was to be the technical writer for that same project.  
>They had decided to meet up before lunchtime to go over the specifications.<br>Zareth was impressed with Zhraan's knowledge of engineering, he was incredibly astute and it was very easy to converse with him.

"We have not had the pleasure of seeing you and Narij since the wedding." Zareth stated at one point.

"Yes, this is true. I must apologize for it. Narij will be joining us later, perhaps we can all go out to lunch."

"That would be acceptable; Sarah is to meet me here in one hour and six minutes."

"So how does your brother do if I might ask?" Zareth inquired.

"He is well, very busy these days with the start of the new building, he talks about you at times, says he cannot wait until you graduate so that you might help him. He sometimes works double shifts that so he has time to travel to India."  
>Zhraan looked up at him and smiled. "He and Narij's sister are getting quite serious I believe."<p>

"That is good for your brother although would your family be amendable to such a union?"

"Of course not! They will react no better than they did towards Narij and I, but he does not care. I see this as a good thing since.. Our parents are in the mind that the Keth is the most important thing, it's more important than your own children. I do not agree with this line of thinking and neither does my brother. We can only hope that our example will get them to think in a different light."

Zareth nodded but said nothing else on the matter and they continued to do their work, in the middle of this however, Zareth's comm began to beep. He picked up thinking that it might be Sarah only to see that it was from Malek.

"Zareth here." He answered.

"Brother; T'Mari and I have to leave for a few days." Malek said in a voice that was far too harsh for someone who had such a laid back spirit.

Zareth raised a brow, he hadn't greeted him with his usual humor or didn't joke about Sarah not being the one to pick up the call, he knew right away something was amiss.

"What is going on Malek?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, we'll be back in a week."

"But you recently got back from your honeymoon, will it not effect your jobs? I do not understand why this sudden action you're taking."

The reality was that Zareth was worried that Malek might be slowly converting to his old ways. It's why he was on a spaceship for all those years, he was not a man to stay in one place for very long. The thought of the old habbits returning immediately crept to the forefront of Zareth's mind until he heard his brother say:

"It is a medical issue that... " He had trouble talking then, it sounded almost like he was growling, and he had yelled his words. "That time Zareth; I must leave."  
>And then he disconnected the call.<p>

Zareth looked at his comm and understood what was happening to his brother, it was good then that he would be leaving, preferably far away from contact with anyone except T'Mari, she was the one he required at this time; during the blood fever.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They had finished with their assignment for now, there was still much to do but Sarah and Narij arrived together so they stopped what they were doing, packed their things and walked in the direction of the Vietnamese restaurant.  
>They were all avidly speaking to another, Sarah in particular excited about a new code she invented that would lessen her workload considerably when there was a sudden, loud honk.<br>They looked to the side and saw Commander Denning driving up in his hover car. The car stopped and the doors opened. He peered over from his sunglasses and yelled: "If you're going to lunch get in."

It was a really nice day so they all decided to sit outside. Both Sarah and Zareth ordered the vegetarian pho, Zareth as usual requesting extra jalapenos. Zhraan ordered the large portion of Bun-cha with extra noodles.

"What is Bun... bun-cha?" Denning asked Zhraan.

"It is the star dish of Vietnam's Capital; Hanoi. They charbroil the meat until it is tender and smoky, and place it a broth that is based with fish sauce, pickled garlic, and other ingredients. You dip your noodles into the sauce and meat, sometimes it comes with lettuce."

"Lettuce?! Pffffttt..." Denning replied, then looked up at both Sarah, Zareth and quickly added: "No offense."

"Zareth and I were talking and we think it's been too long since we've all had dinner at our place."

"Oh yeah! Zhraan and I are free this Friday, aren't we baby?" She asked as she wrapped her arm around his, all he did was nod though as he was currently inhaling a plate full of spring rolls.  
>Denning tried to slip his hand in and steal one but Zhraan was too fast and swiftly moved the plate away.<p>

"Those are some Andorian reflexes!" Denning exclaimed.  
>Zhraan smirked and offered his plate to him, there was one left.<p>

"I'm honored." Denning replied as he took it. "By the way; this Friday works for me as well, and I would like to bring someone."

Narij's eyes grew wide and her mouth shaped into an O. "Is it Nanshik from New Delhi; I swear that girl is obsessed with you Denning, she calls me up all the time to ask about you, and when you're coming back to visit."

"Uh... no; its not.. Who? I don't think I even remember her."

Narij gasped. "Wow Denning; you guys were practically all over each other the night after the 3rd ceremony. She keeps asking me for your comm number and I always have to come up with an excuse, the last one was: 'He tripped going down the stairs after class and landed on his face so he can't talk because he's missing teeth that haven't been replaced yet."

Sarah laughed out loud as she pictured commander Denning with various missing teeth while Zareth raised a brow. "Did she actually believe that statement Narij?" Zareth asked.

"Well yeah, she said Denning always struck her as the clumsy type that would do that sort of thing."

Sarah laughed even harder now. Holding her sides as tears began to form in her eyes. Zareth watched with amusement as she did this.

"Hey! Hey! Just because Malek isn't here doesn't mean you all get to gang up on me now." Denning exclaimed. "And actually, my guest is a woman that I'm seeing and.. I think things could get pretty serious."

"What is her name?" Zhraan asked. "Linda McCarthy, she teaches drama, I think you might get along with her especially Sarah."

Sarah smiled. "The name does not sound familiar but I will be happy to meet her."

"Yes." Zareth confirmed as well. "I think we all look forward to meeting her."

Denning smiled it turn. "It's settled then; I will bring Linda to dinner."

**OOoooooo What will happen? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	54. Chapter 54

Zareth and Sarah were studying together that night, Kelam rolled up into a heaping blonde ball on Sarah's lap. Zareth eyed the cat wearily and Sarah laughed from her work.

"Zareth; I cannot believe you're actually jealous of a four pound kitten."

He cleared his throat and turned back to his work. "I know not such emotion Sarah."

"I would gladly accept for you to curl up into a ball and lay on my lap Zareth but you're far too big and heavier than me to do that; we'll have to find other means to satisfy your needs." She said playfully as he looked up at him through her lashes.

She was teasing him he knew, but he had learned a while back to tease her right back; almost from the very beginning of their acquaintance and he surprisingly never tired of it.

"I agree that I am too large in height but the matter of weight is an issue that can be argued."

Her emerald eyes flashed at him in the way he so loved, but he kept his face completely neutral.

"Did you just call me fat Zareth?"

"I have said no such thing Sarah." He replied calmly.

"But you insinuated it!" She felt herself wanting to get angry but she quickly calmed herself down when she felt his playful hue via their bond, two could play this game.

She looked at herself suddenly seeing her almost non-existent tummy bigger than normal. "You might be right, I guess tonight I'll just have to hit the dance session twice as long; although I'll be too tired to do anything else afterwards, but it'll be worth it since you say I've been getting fat."

She saw his head jerk up and she suppressed a knowing smile, instead she pretended to be concentrating on the last bit of her work. She could feel that he was still staring at her and she knew she had probably hit a sore spot with that last comment.

"Although I have never outright said such a thing Sarah; there are activities that would help burn off more calories than dancing." He finally replied. "Swimming is a good example." The way he annunciated his words led her to understand that he wasn't really referring to swimming at all, but she still went along with it.

She smiled as she looked up at him. "You're probably right Zareth, but we don't have a swimming pool and I'm not about to head down to the academy at this time of night."

She looked up at the time and picked up Kelam from her lap carrying him in her arms.  
>"I think I'll head off now to get a head start."<p>

She came around and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll say goodnight now just in case you're asleep by the time I get to bed." She fingered his front bangs as she often did before heading upstairs.

He watched as she carried the kitten up the stairs, and heard as she shut the door to their shared bedroom, probably to change into her work out clothes. His acute ears then confirmed she had begun to take off her clothes as he could hear the ruffle of them being shed.  
>The conversation definitely had not taken the turn he had wanted it to go; it had actually gone contrary to what he wanted.<br>He suddenly found it extremely difficult to concentrate on his work.

He looked up the stairs and towards their bedroom door before he finally set his work neatly to one side, got up from his chair, and made his way up the stairs and into their bedroom. He was careful to lock the door after he entered; neither he nor Sarah left the room for the remainder of the night, and Sarah still managed to get a vigorous workout.

* * *

><p>Denning was all smiles that evening as he went to meet Linda at Meiko's for sushi that night.<br>He found himself growing increasingly fond of Linda, to the point where he would be thinking about her during the day continuously, and that hadn't happened to him since... well, since Sarah.

She was already at the table waiting for him when he sat down and ordered his drink.

"Sorry I'm late, hope you haven't been waiting long." He said.

"Nope, just got here about five minutes ago." She smiled and cocked her head to the side as her emerald eyes flashed brilliantly at him, it was an odd sense of de ja vu that he couldn't place; it happened a lot when he was with her for some reason but he didn't pay much mind to it.

"I have a surprise by the way." He said as he leaned across the table.

"You remember that young couple I've talked to you about? The Vulcan and human pair I get along with?"

Her rosy cheeks suddenly turned pale but Denning didn't think much about it. "Uhh.. what about them?" She asked.

"Well; they've invited both of us to Dinner, this Friday; they want to meet you."

Linda sat there without moving for several seconds. Denning looked at her oddly before asking: "Are you alright?" When he reached out to touch her hand she suddenly snapped out of her haze.

"Yes, yes! I'm fine! I just uh.. yeah that was quite a surprise! I'd love to finally meet them!"

"Great!" Denning replied. "I know you're going to get along great with them!"

* * *

><p>Narij came over earlier to help Sarah out with dinner that Friday, she was flipping through the PADD and checking out one of the recipes they were supposed to be working on.<p>

"Slice all six of the tomatoes and layer them on the baking dish in between slices of zucchini, and basil leaves, drizzle with sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper." She hummed in thought. "That's easy enough for me to do." She replied.

"Ok, well you get started on that while I do this sweet and sour fried tofu. The vegetable fried rice is almost done."

"What are us carnivores going to eat besides rice?" Narij asked as she flipped through some more recipes. "Denning is bringing a party tray from this Chinese place he likes, General Tso's chicken or something like that."

"Oh yum I love that! It's got a nice spicy kick! Although I'll try your fried tofu, it sounds like it'll be good."

"It will be." Sarah replied. "Zareth loves it, I usually use up three whole packages of tofu, and there's never any left overs."

The door beeped and Zareth and Zhraan came inside carrying several soft drinks and bottles of wine. Zareth came around and brushed his fingers against Sarah's before peering over at the cut up pieces of tofu.  
>She smiled up at him. "Yes, yes, I'm making one of your favorites."<p>

"So, any of you know anything about Denning's new companion?" Zhraan asked as he took a seat at the bar area.

"Not anything else apart what he's told us about her. She's a teacher and he seems extremely taken with her." Sarah replied with a smile. "Who knows, we might hear wedding bells soon."

She peered over at Zareth and he gave her a look at if he were human, he would've rolled his eyes, she knew how he felt about weddings; it was probably an event he could well forgo.

"Well I'm excited to meet her too." Narij chimed in. "I need to know what the big deal is with regards to her, because Denning shoed off Nanshik for her and I was the one that had to be on the comm for over an hour with Nanshik because she wouldn't stop crying."

"Well, we'll soon find out." Sarah replied.

About an hour passed and all the food was ready. Denning came in with the general tso's party tray and looked around after greeting everyone.

"Where's Linda?" She said she'd be here because she had to stuff to take care of at school."

"uhh.. well, she's not here." Sarah said awkwardly.

Denning put down the party tray and immediately commed her. Sarah looked over at Zareth and the look said it all; Denning never had much luck with women, and they all feared that Linda was just another one in the long list of other failures.

"Yeah Linda hi, how are you? Are you coming? We're waiting for you hun… uh huh.. oh.. I see.. but can't you at least… oh.. no, I understand; another time, we do get togethers like this all the time. Ok, well call me later ok? Yeah; you too; bye."

They all looked expectantly at Denning who shook his head sadly. "Last minute work; she's not going to be able to make it. I'm really sorry you guys; she's a terrific lady and I know she wanted to be here to meet you especially Sarah."

"You know.." Narij said deviously. "What if she's shy about meeting us? I mean it's a big step to meet your boyfriends friends. I know I was dying when I met Zhraan's family."

Denning thought about it for a minute and her actions the other night could have been directed towards what Narij was saying. "So what do you suggest?" He asked.

"Let's go out to dinner one night, but don't tell her that we'll be there and then we just all kinda show up, that way she won't be so nervous or awkward about it and then when she sees how awesome we all are, she'll never be nervous about one of our gatherings ever again."

"Brilliant idea my love; I couldn't have come with a better solution myself." Zhraan said before he kissed her.

"That's actually a very good idea." Sarah replied. Even Zareth thought it would be a logical solution.

Denning smiled to himself. "Fine, once we establish our next date night; I'll give you all the details and you "unexpectedly all show up; trust me, you all are going to love her."

* * *

><p><strong>I KNOW! I know I'm dragging this out, but trust me; it will totally be worth it, and yes; it will finally happen in the next chapter :-)<strong>

**I also just want to thank each and every one of you who reads/reviews, means so much to me to see that so many have stuck with this story and it's almost been a year; I can hardly believe it!**


	55. Chapter 55

**And it's finally here! I'm dedicating this chapter to Jamille Shane, you go Jamille Shane!**

**Show me love people! Don't forget to R&R ;-)**

* * *

><p>That night after their guests had left; Sarah was washing up the last of the dishes and Zareth was helping put them away.<br>Sarah was humming a tune that he had heard before and it usually meant that she was in a very good mood or that she was thinking about something intimate or sometimes both.

He looked over at her as he was drying one of the dishes; she looked up at him in turn and smiled brightly at him. It always did please him greatly to see her flashing bright emerald eyes at him, and her smile further indicated that she was in a playful mood.

"Have I mentioned how cute you look in that outfit you're wearing tonight my love?" She said as she smirked at him. Yes, she was indeed in a playful mood, which would escalate to teasing, and hopefully end up with her wrapped around him as he took her to wondrous heights, but he never gave in easily unless various days had passed in which they had not partaken in intimacy; furthermore he knew that part of her enjoyment was the interplay they shared before they reached the point of taking action.

He wasn't wearing anything out of the norm, a pair of khaki pants and a red tucked in polo shirt. She bit her lower lip as she further observed him. "You look good in red, it brings out your skin tone."

He remained perfectly neutral in appearance as he always did, using the dish rag to dry the last of the dishes.

"My Sarah, it is curious you should say this now since I wear red constantly. It is the color of our academy uniforms and furthermore I should point out that even before we began courting, there were many occasions in which I was not in uniform that I also chose to wear..."

While he was talking however, she slowly walked over to him, giving him that predator look, she was coming in and there was no escaping. If it weren't for the fact that his pupils had dilated, she would have never had any indication that he was enjoying this as much as she was.  
>He was still talking when she took off her apron and let it slide off her body as she wrapped her arms around his neck pretending to be incredibly interested in what he was saying.<p>

"Thursday November 26th at 1700 hours is another good example; I walked in the study lab wearing a shirt that was of…"

She licked her lips as he continued to talk, she could see his eyes watching her movement intently and yet his train of thought with regards to the conversation didn't even stammer in the least. She quirked her eyebrow, she would fix that.

"Cherry red as it is referred to on Earth and I remember clearly that you made no comment which brings me to fast forward on to when we actually began courting even though it was very brief period…"

She then ever so gently began to blow softly over his ear and…. jackpot.

She smirked with gratification as she watched his face contort and his eyes shut tight, she took it a step further and leaned in to capture the tip of his ear into her mouth, her tongue swirling slowly around it.

All she remembered hearing was a sound that was a mixture between a growl and a groan before she was lifted off the ground where he didn't even bother leading up her the stairs to their bedroom; no. The kitchen door apparently was going to make for sufficient sustainable, solid device.

* * *

><p>"We missed you at dinner the other night." Denning said when Linda arrived at his apartment.<p>

"And believe me when I say that no one is sorrier for having missed out on that dinner more than I am. I know how it must look, but there really wasn't any way of getting out from work that night. I'm sure another meeting could be arranged." She said looking up at him with those sparkling beautiful eyes of hers.

"As a matter of fact…" Denning said with a dashing smile as he sat her down on his love seat. "I would very much like it if you'd have dinner with me the day after tomorrow. There's a jazz restaurant I've been dying to try out. Come with me and that will be more than enough repayment."

She blinked at looked wearily at him at first but then laughed brightly. "Just you and I right?"

He nodded. "Just the two of us, maybe I can even convince you to some dancing."

She laughed again. "Well, I don't know about all that but.. You've got yourself a date."

Denning looked into her eyes and his expression suddenly became quite serious, it brought Linda up short and she quickly asked him. "What's wrong? Why so serious?"

He shook his head in turn. "Nothing it's just that I…"

"Well come on now, out with it." She encouraged.

"I don't want to drive you away." He began.

She lifted a brow in turn. "I doubt you would succeed in doing that, things can always be worked out."

He sighed loudly as he looked at her again. "I just.. I don't remember ever feeling this way about anyone before Linda I… I could get very serious about you and I ..." He laughed nervously and pressed his hand awkwardly towards the back of his neck. "I just felt like.. I needed to let you know."

Linda took Dennings face in her hands and looked him straight in the eye before she said:

"I already am very serious about you Denning."

And it was all he needed to hear. He took her in his arms and gave her the deepest, and most expressive kiss he could manage. He needed to let her know that he was serious, that having her for keeps was something that he would dedicate his existence to.

Commander Denning realized then and there and he was without a doubt falling in love with Linda.

* * *

><p>It's all set for tonight then? Denning asked with the biggest smile Sarah had ever seen.<p>

"Uh yeah I think so." Sarah replied as she looked over at Zareth. Zareth looked up knowing they were waiting on him to reply.

"I have no fixed engagements, Sarah and I will be there." Zareth replied.

Denning continued to smile brightly as he slammed his hands on the picnic table just outside the academy cafeteria.

"Excellent! Remember to arrive promptly at 6:45pm no earlier, no later."

"Yeah, yeah." Narij waved as she never took her eyes off her latest issue of : "Galaxy Girl" Magazine.

"Remember!" Denning said as he began to walk away and they all replied at the same time "6:45… yeah yeah.."

"Just making sure!" Denning replied eagerly, even as he walked off he had a spring in his step, Sarah smiled as she was genuinely happy for on the other hand had one of his: 'looks' which immediately caught Sarah's attention.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna go?" She asked.

"The matter of going out to dinner with Denning and his new mate is not the issue; I cannot help but be concerned for his well being."

"What?" Narij and Sarah asked at the same time. "Did you see him just now Zareth? He was practically skipping down the sidewalk like a kid who just left the candy store, how can you possibly be concerned for his well being?" Narij asked.

"There are many logical reasons when you consider that given the small amount of information we have of this Linda person, we so far can conclude that she is unreliable in regards to punctuality, furthermore it is clear that she has no interest in meeting us for she has never failed to have a meeting with Denning but all it took was for him to tell her that other people would be present and I find it peculiar that something should come up during that time. She seems only interested in seeing him alone and I find it unsettling."

"But I thought we had already come to the conclusion that she was just shy about meeting us." Zhraan commented.

"Yeah Zareth, why are you being so hard on her?" Narij asked.

"It may very well be that she is of a timid nature but you must concede that Denning has become quite attached to her I simply am looking out for his best interest, it is unpredictable to know what would happen if things should go sour between him and Miss Linda."

"I understand what you're saying Zareth." Sarah replied. "But let's just try to stay optimistic about this, let's go in thinking that we'll meet her and be proven that she is a darling person who is exactly what Denning needs in his life."

Zareth raised a brow. "I hope for his sake that you are correct in this matter."

* * *

><p>"Are you ready Sarah? Denning wants us to arrive at a punctual hour and if we are to do so we need to leave in one minute and 30 seconds." Zareth said from downstairs.<p>

"I'm coming." She said as she put on her earrings. "I'm just putting these on, you remember? They're the ones you bought for me when we were in Scotland." He graced her with a small smile as he looked at them, he traced them with his fingers and slowly they trailed down the side of her face and towards her lips.

"You look lovely Sarah." He said as she wore an emerald dress with a satin belt, she had let her hair down and she really did look breath taking.

"Thank you Zareth." She said as she leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. "Now let's go before we're late!"

When they arrived at the restaurant, Narij and Zhraan were already there. Narij was wearing a light blue Sari, and Zhraan was wearing grey trousers and button down olive shirt.

"Well, I guess we should just go in and pretend to be getting a table for four when we bump into them right?"

"That would be the logical plan." Zareth replied.

"Alright then! I'm actually excited!" Narij exclaimed as they went inside the restaurant.

The hostess greeted them with a warm smile before asking: "Table for four?"

They all nodded. "Right this way then!"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that.

The swirls of colors as they passed diners lifting their forks and placing food in their mouths, waiters and waitresses carrying trays as they walked by, a bar tender off the distance shaking what was to be a drink that momentarily someone would consume and enjoy; all of these things were happening and yet it could not prepare Sarah for the inevitable, for they had reached Denning's table and she instantly realized as she looked up that the Linda he had been ranting and raving about for so long was unmistakably her mother.

**I'm already working on the next chapter so hopefully I won't have you all waiting too long. Seriously; my heart was racing as I wrote this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! :-)**


	56. Chapter 56

In those moments Zareth felt such an overwhelming surge of emotion from Sarah that it nearly had him double over were he not so disciplined in the act of keeping his emotions in check. He had never felt anything so profound in all the time he had known Sarah. Even when she had lost their baby, although the sentiments were entirely different for what he felt coming from her now was anger-more like rage really.

He instinctively placed his arm around hers and interlocked their fingers. To anyone else it would seem as a sign of love and maybe even being overly sentimental but through the touch he doubled his transference of peace and tranquility over to her via their bond for something was definitely not right and it had to do with the woman Denning was currently introducing them all to. Her anger was so profound that he couldn't tell if it was working or not, all he could see was this surging red wall growing ever higher in her mind; it concerned him greatly and he looked over at her to gage her reaction at what was happening, if this continued, he would simply pick her up and carry her out of the restaurant.

Sarah covered her face with her free hand as if not believing the sight before her, at this point; everyone was looking at her with concern, Denning most of all rising from his chair and looking at the both of them.

"YOU are Linda?" Sarah finally scoffed in disbelief. Then she shot her venomous stare over at Denning.

"You're dating my MOTHER?! I… this is.. cruel joke.. I can't.. " She stammered at him as if this had all been planned and coordinated by him.

There was a loud, high-pitched gasp from Narij, even Zhraan's antenna had quirked around a few times as he brought up one had to cover his open mouth. Zareth was stepping in front of her already knowing that she was trying to make her way over to the woman, and it wasn't with the intention to shake hands.

Denning was unable to speak, his countenance pale as a ghost and his eyes were wide in complete shock. Sarah turned her stare to the woman in question who was now rising out of her chair and walking over to her, and that finally got Sarah to snap back into action, but Zareth held her firmly in place and was currently saying something to her but she couldn't hear, all her mind raced with was angry thoughts.

"I can explain." Linda said in a cracked voice, tears coming down from her emerald eyes.

"Explain what?" Sarah asked, her cheeks growing red and her expression becoming hard, Narij's eyes were so wide that they practically took up half of her face, she had never seen Sarah so angry before.

"That you wish I had never been born? That after all these years I never heard a word from you? Not one single damn word! The only thing I had to even know that you were alive was news clippings of you dressed up like a Hollywood whore! And.. and.. and.. all of the sudden I find out you're dating my professor?! Why Violet? That is your real name isn't it? Why have you told Denning over there that your name is Linda? Is this some attempt at bringing more grief into my life because you haven't hurt me enough? Because your walking out on both me and dad to run off with your director lover didn't hurt us enough?! You abandoned me! You abandoned your husband and it killed him! You…. You…"

Sarah was faltering and her vision was suddenly blurred. The world around her began to spin uncontrollably and she had to close her eyes in order to make it stop. She felt herself being picked up off the ground and that was all she could remember.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Zareth made no stops as he carried Sarah outside and hailed down one of the shuttle cabs. He didn't even wait to explain anything to the others, he simply opened the back door to the shuttle and they made a hasty retreat.

By the time they had arrived home; Sarah had already come to and she stirred in his arms.

"Where are we?" She had asked as she looked up at him.

"We are currently on our way back to our home; do you remember what happened?" He whispered as his fingers gently ran up and down her arm in a comforting manner.

"It wasn't a dream.." She said more to herself than to him.

"I'm afraid that it wasn't." There was a long pause and then the shuttle stopped in front of their house.

Zareth paid his credits and opened the door and was about to carry her out bridal style but she stopped him.  
>"I'm alright now; I can walk on my own." She whispered.<p>

They walked in silence up the house and she immediately fell onto the couch in their living room. Zareth looked at her briefly before sitting next to her and again placing her in his arms in a protective lovers embrace as she cried onto his chest. Nothing was said, they simply held each other and Zareth tried his very best to soothe her via their bond until she eventually fell asleep in his arms.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was the third time Linda had tried calling Denning but he didn't answer. She waited about an hour later to try again when she received an automated message stating that her number was denied connection to his communicator; he had blocked her.

Losing him as a potential future companion didn't bother her if she was honest. She had had many men in her lifetime. They were here today, gone tomorrow, so she didn't allow herself to get attached to any one man. She was at a point in her life where her priorities had changed and right now she was focused on trying to establish some kind of connection with her daughter, and after the blow-up scene that had occurred at the restaurant, she didn't know if that was going to happen anymore.

She had pictured many scenarios of them meeting up again in her mind, but that had definitely not been one of them, she had been tricked and she was unprepared. She had originally planned that she would date Denning up until the point to where he would say so many good things about her that when they had finally met; Sarah would've been over the moon with joy to find out that the magnificent woman he had been dating was all along her mother, but things never turned out the way one planned, and Denning had ruined everything.

Sarah was angry with her now, but she wouldn't give up so easily. She'd find a way to obtain Sarah's forgiveness and maybe then she could finally know the pleasures of being a mother. That Vulcan husband of hers never did seem to take his hands off of her during the brief time they were at the restaurant, and the time she had followed them to the hardware store she had observed that he had never taken his eyes off her. It was unnatural that a being that wasn't blood related should be so attached to her, especially one that wasn't even her species! It was now very obvious that needed to direct her attentions on to a different angle.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Malek and T'Mari finally arrived back from their 'medical' leave, and the first thing he did was call his brother but after two attempts, he did not pick up.

"Hmmm, he's probably just busy shakin' the bed post with Sarah; I'll try again later." He then tried calling up Denning and it automatically went to a voice message system. This time Malek frowned. "What's up with everyone? Why can't I get a hold of anybody?" Malek asked aloud.

T'Mari lifted her comm and replied. "I am also unable to contact Narij, this is indeed strange."

"You don't think something has happened do you?" Malek asked with sudden concern. He then got up and was about to make his way out the door when T'Mari asked: "Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to Zareth's, I don't like this one bit. Its one thing that Zareth and Denning don't answer their comm's; I'll buy that, but Gossip Punjabi Queen Narij not answer hers? Something definitely isn't right."

"I'm coming with you." T'Mari replied.

"Fine, who knows; maybe they're all partying or something." Malek said before he closed the door to his apartment.

**Again; there should be another chapter coming up in a couple of days; I'm hot to trot with this story right now; stay tuned!**


	57. Chapter 57

There was a knock on the door and Zareth looked up having been caught off guard. He certainly wasn't expecting anybody so it was slightly disconcerting.  
>Sarah didn't even stir as he picked her up as was expected. Zareth had caused her to fall into a deep sleep via their bond and it would take a lot to try and wake her from it but it wasn't safe too especially for a human. He carried her up the stairs and placed her carefully on their bed where he tucked her in before heading back downstairs. The visitor however did not subside or leave an instead the knocks were more persistent than ever.<p>

He checked through the small computer screen and saw Malek's oversized face trying to peer in through the door and could then see him turn back around and mumble something to T'Mari who stood calmly with her hands folded in front of her. He contemplated not opening the door but this would be illogical since it would only worry his brother more but it had been a long time since he had seen him.

Zareth opened the door and Malek didn't even wait until it was fully open before he barged in.

"Great time of day Zareth! You had me worried sick! You!"

"Shhhh.." Zareth motioned as he placed his finger over his lips. "Sarah is upstairs sleeping."

Malek's face went still. "Oh no.. Did something happen to her? Is she ill? Zareth! Why was I not contacted?! Why is nobody responding to my calls? I'm gone for a week and all hell breaks loose!"

"Please sit down, it is how you say; a rather long story." Zareth began.

Malek and T'Mari did just that, sitting down and hearing the unbelievable tale unwind. Zareth noted how Malek's inner emotions raged from belting out surprise to anger and then to pity while T'Mari expressed this by the flicker of her eyes and the slight twitches of her mouth. It seemed they both felt the same way about what had happened but it was fascinating to see how differently they reacted to it.

"Oh my god Denning.. I can't even imagine how.. No wonder he isn't responding to my comm calls, and Sarah she's been through so much."

"Can we see her?" T'Mari asked.

Zareth shook his head. "I have induced her to sleep as she was in an overly emotional state, it would be unwise to wake her."

"No, let her rest." Malek replied. "I swear, I have a mind to go find that woman and run her out of town! Or sic Narij on her and have her explain the two million reasons why polka dots and stripes together are a fashion nightmare! Why her chipmunk voice alone would drive anyone mad!"

"Malek!' T'Mari retorted.

"Whatever T'Mari, you know it would work!" He replied. "Just the sound of her voice is enough to drive armies of men into a state of erratic psychosis!"

There was silence for a moment and Malek looked up at Zareth.

"So… This lady isn't going to stop just because of this ordeal. She'll probably wait a couple of days or maybe even weeks until things have died down a bit and probably try to contact Sarah again, question is; what are you going to do about it brother? I wouldn't trust her for a minute, for all you know she could be some kind of deluded psycho with the intention to want to harm Sarah."

"I do not believe that she wants to harm Sarah, if you look carefully at the sequence of events that have occurred, it would seem that she has been discreetly trying to find out about her, probably in an effort to slowly immerse herself into her life. For humans it is not uncommon that they reach a point in their lives where they feel the emotional need to re-connect with family, it is very possible that this is the case and this woman is going about it in a deceitful manner."

"And she used Denning." Malek replied.

"It would seem so, but this is all speculation, there is the possibility that she could cause harm, we do not have enough information to determine anything at this point." Zareth replied.

"How do we even know that this lady is really her mother though?" Malek asked.

"You heard yourself Malek; Sarah was able to identify her immediately, is this not so Zareth?" T'Mari replied

Zareth nodded. "Yes, and I was also able to see for myself that there was a substantial amount of evidence in the brief moments that I saw her; their eye color for example, is exactly the same."

"You need to stick to her like glue Zareth.. Not that you don't already. Have her keep her comm on her at all times and contact her constantly."

Zareth nodded. "I had already planned on doing that Malek."

Zareth stood and Malek did the same. He offered his brother a pitiful smile and slapped him hard on the back. "It grieves me to come back to such news brother, but you know that T'Mari and I are just a call away if anything should happen."

"And we will be calling frequently to make sure everything is well." T'Mari added.

Zareth nodded again. "I thank you both; I will notify you if anything changes."

Malek and T'Mari made their way out to the driveway, both of them deep in thought before T'Mari asked him. "What do you make of all these occurrences Malek?"

He sighed as he looked up across the street, watching as a young couple walked along the sidewalk talking animatedly to one another; why couldn't things be normal for once? It seems like Zareth and Sarah never could catch a break.

"I'm not sure T'Mari, but I don't like it, and I have a feeling it's far from over." He turned to her and dug into his pocket to bring out his keys. "I need to go see Denning; I can't even imagine how he must be handling all this."

* * *

><p>Malek was pounding on to Denning's door.<p>

He had been doing so for the past half hour but got nothing in return. For a moment he seriously thought about breaking in but then thought the better of it and finally gave up and left.

The next day Malek and T'Mari arrived at the academy earlier than usual and checked his office only to find that he wasn't there. They checked his classroom and wasn't there either. Taking no chances, they walked over to Captain Alan's office, he was the one that Denning reported to and if anyone knew about his whereabouts; it was him.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this Captain Alan sir." Malek began.

"I know why you're here Malek and uh; I forget your name." He said as he smiled at T'Mari. She said her name and he smiled warmly at her. "Yes, yes.. I would have thought he would have told you personally but I guess he couldn't seeing as it was a star fleet emergency."

"Emergency? What kind of emergency?"

"Oh… I'm afraid that I can't disclose that information to you, but he left last night, and I'm not certain when he will be back as of yet."

"But he's alright?" Malek questioned quickly.

"Yes he's tolerantly well I daresay, and I'm glad that you're here as a matter of fact because I need to find someone that will sub for his classes." He replied as he came around and looked Malek in the eye.

"Listen son; sometimes a man needs to just get away from things for a while or it'll end up screwing up with the mind; I don't know if you as a Vulcan can understand it but for humans sometimes an emotional blow needs to be let out by focusing on something entirely different; you understand don't you?"

He nodded. "Yes; although it does not lessen the grief in the situation."

Captain Alan smiled. "He's good man Denning, but the poor fellow hasn't had luck smile down on him as of yet. I think.. I think he needs this even though you all will miss him. He'll be back before you know it though so I'll need you to step up to the plate and do your best Malek; play it by ear for today but study his notes well so that those kids will learn to respect you; am I understood?"

"Yes sir, completely." Malek replied.

"Alright; you all are dismissed."

* * *

><p>Sarah walked towards Denning's classroom that afternoon to meet up with him and the team to go over the newest issue for the G-oracle project, there were a few things she needed to ask and even though she had an idea, Denning's uncanny ability to fish out the problem at its source always saved the team time.<p>

That at least was one of the reasons she came in early but the fact was that she needed to talk to him as well. It had been unfair of her to accuse him at the restaurant as if he had been the one behind the whole ordeal, and she really needed to talk to him and ask about how he had meet 'Linda' and she just really needed to clear the air about everything.

She was already turning the corner to the hallway that led to his room when her comm went off; it was Zareth.

"Hey." She answered.

"Are you well?" Zareth immediately asked.

"Yes, I'm fine; Zareth you've been calling me every hour to see how I'm doing."

"I worry for your well-being Sarah."

"I know that honey and I love you for it, but maybe if you extended it to every two hours hmm?"

He took some time in responding and she knew he was probably calculating the probability of things happening to her if he delayed hearing an affirmation of her state of well being for that long.

"Fine; I consent to this." He finally replied.

"What do you want me to make when I get home? I can make the Bahn Mi sandwiches you like."

"That is agreeable." He replied. "I will call you again in two hours time."

She laughed. "Ok honey; love you." And she ended the call. She opened the door that led to the classroom and found the professor's chair with its back towards her so she approached cautiously before finally clearing her throat. Still she got nothing in response.

"Uhh.. Denning? Do you think you have a few minutes?" She asked.

"Why certainly!" Came a different voice, and the chair turned around to reveal Malek smiling from ear to ear. "Choose your words carefully Sarah, lest I give you a failing grade!" He said smugly as he placed his feet up on the desk, and his hands behind his neck.

Sarah's eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Oh no.. The G-Oracle project just went down the toilet." She finally replied.


	58. Chapter 58

Two hours had passed but Sarah had not even noticed since she was arguing with Malek who just didn't seem to want to see reason.

"The G-Oracle communications protocols define the rules and data formats for exchanging information on to the holodeck suite codes that we produce; and you're saying that we should re-program everything that has been worked on for almost a year?!"

Malek smirked as he watched her cheeks grow pinkish, and her emerald eyes were blazing, she was rather attractive when she was passionate about something; it was no wonder she had Zareth so whipped and doing back flips for her. He'd probably learn to sit and play dead too if she simply asked him to. Ah the power she could wield and she didn't even know it.

"Are you even listening to me Malek?" She asked and that seemed to snap him out of his thoughts.

"I'm thinking about what you're saying of course! Sarah, let me ask you something. Right now if I want to go into one of your programs, what would you have to do?"

She sighed loudly as she was tired, hungry and really just wanting to go home and be with Zareth so she could forget about everything. Malek might be a good architect but he was no Denning, and her hopes for things not going completely down the drain were slipping as she watched him sit so lazily against his chair and look at her as if he were really thinking about his weekend plans and not listening to what she was saying.

"I would first set the OS model, and then enter the activation program codes."

Malek smirked. "You don't think that's too complicated?"

"Complicated?!" She replied and looked at him as if he were insane but he continued to nod like he knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah.. you see.." But he was interrupted as Sarah's comm beeped loudly on the table, before Sarah could even grab it, Malek was quicker and took it away from her.

"Uhh.. do you mind?" She asked as she stuck her hand out for him to give it back.

Malek continued to smirk as he looked to see who it was. "What a surprise; it's my brother of course." His smirk grew into a very wide and mischievous grin as he winked at her, "Just play along."

She folded her arms in front of her as if she were annoyed by all this but she couldn't help but smirk in turn, she could only imagine Zareth's reaction to Malek answering, he was either going to find it amusing or become excessively paranoid about not letting others use her comm.

"Hello.. Zareth? Oh hey brother how are you doing? What? Sarah? This is my comm you just called, What? You don't wanna talk to me? I can say pretty things to you too brother." He said as he batted his lashes in a flirty way.

"Zareth, maybe you accidentally marked my number by accident and really meant to call Sarah, Why would I answer if you had really called Sarah?... what do you mean it's a 98.9% chance likelihood that I'm wrong?"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at that last remark.

"Ok, I'm going to end the communication so you can call her this time; I'm sure she'll answer."

He ended the call but he didn't hand the comm back to her and instead held a finger up to her when it beeped again. "Zareth, I think there's something wrong with your comm; you keep calling me….Trick? How can that be Zareth?!" Malek blinked as he pushed the comm away.

"He ended communication! I can't believe it! What is the world coming to Sarah where my own brother doesn't want to talk to me!"

"He's worried about me Malek; I'm going to call him back."

She was just about to call him back when there was a sudden knock and then the door opened. Sarah's eyes grew wide and she got out of her chair and walked over to greet her husband who had obviously run at top speed to reach the room.

"Two hours had passed and I was worried when I was not able to communicate with you." He rushed out; completely ignoring Malek who was still sitting in the professor's chair and watching them intently.

"I'm sorry honey; I shouldn't have let him do it, were you in class?"

"I was when I first called but after Malek answered, I immediately left to come find you while we were still talking."

Sarah looked into his eyes, she felt his hands slip around her waist and understood that the physical touch served as a reassurance to him that she was safe and then it dawned on her that he really did believe that she was under some kind of danger, she could also feel the deep concern through their bond, and it melted her heart that he could love her with such intensity.  
>She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was a deep, reassuring kiss that lingered for quite a few minutes. They finally pulled away because she felt both her own and his urge to want to escalate the kiss, and now was definitely not the time or the place. They looked up towards Malek to find he had a book held up in front of him to give the impression that he wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. It might have worked too had the book not been upside down.<p>

Sarah marched over to him and snatched it out of his hands and set it down on his desk with a loud 'thud'

"Hey! You can't snatch things out of my hands! I am your instructor!" He yelled.

Sarah then walked behind his desk and began pulling notebooks out; then she went into a drawer and took out a couple of manuals and then threw them into Malek's hands.

"Read those, and then we'll talk tomorrow." She said before taking Zareth's hand and guiding him out of the classroom.

"Aren't we going to finish though?" Malek said as he finally stood from his comfortable pose. "I was just joking Sarah but I really do have some ideas that I think will be for the benefit of the G-oracle project, starting with the insertion of the activation program codes. You have to do it each and every single time before you enter the suite right?"

Sarah blinked. "Yeah.. and? I think that you're actually going somewhere with this."

Malek smirked. "What if I were to tell you that I can devise a way where you wouldn't have to anymore. You would just do it once to initiate everything and then afterwards all you have to do is tell the computer what program you want. It seems a waste of time to set the OS model, and then enter the activation program codes each and every time. "

Zareth looked over at Sarah, it seemed to him that what he had just said surprisingly made sense to her. "We need to go over specifics, but not now; Zareth and I need to be somewhere."

Malek raised a brow. "I'm sure you do. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Sarah nodded. "You should still read those manuscripts though, they were written by Denning; it'll at least give you an idea of how he operated things."

Malek gave a salute and watched as Sarah and Zareth were leaving the classroom, he smirked as he felt himself say: "By the way, if you guys don't want to wait until you get home; there's a storage closet on the left hand side when you exit out the east wing, nice and private."

They didn't answer of course which amused Malek all the more.

Once they were finally gone, his smile faded as he looked at all the stuff Sarah had left for him to read. He picked up one and began to study in earnest.


	59. Chapter 59

Several days had passed in which things were pretty uneventful to say the least.

Malek had proved to be quite a good instructor when he actually put some effort into it. It took him one night to read all of Denning's manuscripts and by the following day, he was already teaching very similar to his style, and he figured that this was important as his students had probably already adjusted themselves to his rhythm of teaching and would be thrown off-guard if Malek were to just come in and change everything up.

The G-Oracle project was progressing very smoothly and if Sarah were honest, it was actually going a lot better than she had ever expected. He figured out a way where one could just give a voice command to the computer with the specification for the holo-program as opposed to setting the OS model and manually activating code each and every time. The cadets were extremely impressed by this and that seemed to earn their respect for Malek in turn.

Despite the progress that was being made, Denning's absence was felt by all. Nobody had heard anything from him since the day he ran off on confidential star fleet business and it was unsettling. Of course they all knew that the recent blow up with Linda had been the cause but where had he gone? And how long would he be gone?

"I should have been there for him more often." Malek blamed himself one evening when he had stopped by Zareth's place. "But I never really pried too much you know? There are some things that a man wants to keep private, but maybe we should have seen the chain of events in his life and tried to do something to help him. All he wanted was a good woman to fall in love with and it just never seemed to happen for him."

"He did seem to have the misfortune to always become attached to the inappropriate woman." Zareth replied.

Malek smirked and slapped him hard on the back. "Maybe if he had married Sarah instead of you, he'd be happy as a clam and we wouldn't be having this conversa….. ok, ok! It was a joke brother, geez!"

He knew it would happen, and it had not failed to amuse him greatly. As soon as those words had left Malek's lips, Zareth's head had swerved swiftly with a gaze that could kill. He hardly ever saw such reactions from him, but when it came to his woman, that all went out the window. Sarah was completely his and that's all there was to it. After Malek had left, Zareth made sure to demonstrate his claim on Sarah…. Several times.

The ordeal with Linda began to die down a bit. Nobody had heard or seen from her since the incident, but Zareth knew that that would probably not be the last they'd see of her, he had expressed this concern to Sarah and despite trying to soothe her through their bond; it would still always upset her to talk about it, but it was something they needed to discuss for Sarah's own safety.

"She must be absolutely crazy to think that after everything she's done, I would just forget everything and establish a relationship with her. I don't need her anyway, I have you Zareth."

"Indeed you do." He replied. They were on their lunch break and enjoying a spinach and walnut salad that Sarah had made that morning.

"We still have twenty minutes." Sarah said. "Are you going to head down to engineering?"

"Actually, I had in mind for you to accompany me to the east wing." Zareth replied with a raise of a brow.

"The east wing? But neither you nor I have class… Ooooooh." Sarah giggled as her cheeks blushed madly. "Zareth you're so bad! What if we get caught? Or worse yet, what if we catch your brother in there! I would be so mortified!"

Zareth picked up his comm, and a few seconds later she could hear Malek's voice, he sounded like he was eating. "Brother! Did you call me to discuss neuron transmitters? A hypothesis on piping schematics? No wait, I know! You want to know if I'm in using the storage closet in the east wing!"

Sarah's eyes grew wide with shock and she suddenly turned around to see if he was actually hiding somewhere nearby and had been listening to their conversation. Malek in turn laughed like a mad-man. "I'm just kidding! I know you're too much of a prude to actually do anything like that on the academy premises."

Sarah had to cover her mouth in order to keep from laughing out loud, while Zareth's ears and cheeks turned a violent shade of green.

"I have to go Malek, I will speak to you later."

"Aww come on brother, it was a joke, don't get mad!"

"Such emotions are foreign to me brother." He replied. "I will speak to you later."

Zareth ended communication and he and Sarah immediately set out for the east wing. It seemed it was becoming their new favorite hangout spot on the academy premises.

That same day, Zareth had to stay late to attend a meeting for a project that was being kicked off, and while Zareth was not a part of that particular team, his expertise on engineering matters was required. When the meeting had ended, it was already starting to darken outside. He comm'ed Sarah to let her know that he was on his way home. Zareth was about two blocks away from the academy when a woman approached him. At first he thought it might be a tourist asking for directions as that happened quite a bit, but then upon closer examination, he was able to determine that the woman who was there in front of him was Linda, and his mind quickly prepared itself for a possible physically harming scenario although he remained perfectly stoic in his expression upon seeing the woman.

"You are Zareth?" She asked.

"Should I know you?" He asked in turn, pretending as if he did not recognize her.

She took off her sun glasses and immediately he could see the resemblance, particularly from their eyes, such stunning eyes were indeed rare. "I'm Sarah's mother, I didn't think you'd remember me, we only saw each other for a few seconds."

She waited as if anticipating him to go on tirade of sorts, but when he didn't she smirked in turn. "Just like a Vulcan, completely devoid of any feeling." She said sourly.

"Just because Vulcans repress emotions, does not mean we do not have them, a common misconception humans make on a regular basis."

"So, why are you with my daughter?" She looked at his left hand and saw the ring, and scoffed in response.

Zareth lifted a brow. "I think the more appropriate question in such a case as this would be, 'what business is it of yours?' "

"I am her mother!" She yelled angrily.

Zareth raised his brow higher. "Are you?"

She covered her face with her hands and pressed roughly as if aggravated, then mumbled a few words to herself. It seemed to Zareth that she didn't comport in a normal manner.

"I need to see my daughter; you will take me to her."

"I will do no such thing." Zareth replied, but all the while was observing her all the more carefully for any sign of physical attack.

"Look I… I know how this must seem to you, and to her as well but there is just so much she doesn't know and I really just need to talk to her, to let her know that after all this time, I do love her, and as her mother I am entitled to see her."

"That indeed would be true if Sarah were an adolescent, or a young child, but she is not. She is a grown, and married woman. From what I understand, you were not present in her life when she required your care and attention. Even I understand that emotions such as trust and love are earned, not an entitlement. Sarah Williams is my wife, and I give her all the emotional and physical support she needs, your presence now in her life is not needed or desired.

Linda smirked. A kind of grin that if Zareth had been human, it would have made his blood run cold.

"This is not the last you'll see of me; I guarantee it."

He was about to reply but she had suddenly shot off running and disappeared up one of the alley's.

It was then that Zareth knew for certain that they were not dealing with a mentally stable individual and that only made their situation all the more dire.


	60. Chapter 60

**I dedicate this chapter to Wildblume.**

**I always want to thank all those who are reading/reviewing, and keeping up with the story. **

**I also want to take this opportunity to say that this story is coming close to the end. Finally I know! Look at this! 60 chapters! And I love all my characters very much and it's gonna be tough for me, but if I get enough feedback for it, I'll do a sequel. As always, thanks again.**

* * *

><p>"I'm tired of this Zareth." Sarah said as she folded her arms angrily. "We can't keep living in fear of her; I'm going to report her to the authorities."<p>

"That might seem like a logical solution to you at this moment, but if you were to go, they would ask for you to relate the past events, and after you finish telling them all the information, they will simply say that there is not enough evidence for them to charge her with anything at present."

"So you're saying we have to actually sit and wait for her to actually harm one of us first before we can take action against her, is that what you're saying?" Sarah replied angrily.

"Sarah, please. I do not make these rules; I'm simply stating what would happen."

"But she's stalking us, stalking you! She threatened you! She can't get away with that!"

"They'd have me file a restraining order against her, which she could still violate at any given time." Zareth replied.

"But maybe we should anyway, just so that there is a written record that we fear for our safety."

Zareth thought about it and realized this was probably a good idea. They went down to the station and the process took almost three hours, by the time they got back home it was already extremely late.

"But at least it is done and it is one less thing to worry about." Zareth tried to soothe Sarah. She nodded and looked at him with pity. "I'm sorry that you're being dragged into this mess."

Zareth however shook his head. "This is out of your control my Sarah, out of my control, there is no need for you to be sorry as you have done nothing wrong." He then held her in his arms and graced her with a small, yet tired smile. "Let us retire for the night so you are able to withstand tomorrow's activities."

* * *

><p>Denning was in his quarters looking at pictures of past events. Right now he was flipping through pictures of Malek and Narij's wedding, sometimes smiling and sometimes overcome by the ache he felt for he missed them a lot. Missing them in general was a luxury for him now in days since he always seemed to be working, but in many ways it was a necessary change for it allowed his mind to focus solely on work and not delve into depressive thoughts about how his life was an inescapable tragedy when it came to matters of love.<br>Some people simply were just not meant to fall in love and he was convinced now more than ever that he was one of them.

He had not requested to leave, as a matter of fact, it all seemed to just happen. He was in his classroom preparing for that day's lecture but it was hard for him to focus, his mind kept going back to the horrific scene in the restaurant for what was meant to be a joyous and progressive event completely blew up in his face. His superior had walked in then, and while they were talking about a possible soccer match, Denning had broken down. Like a child, he cried, he couldn't even remember the last time he had cried in such a manner, and then an overwhelming wave of shame enveloped him for he was a star fleet officer, the very image of what was courage and everything proper was weeping like a five year old, but he couldn't control it. He really had fallen in love with Linda. He actually fooled himself into thinking that he might actually have a future with her, and it all went to hell so fast that he didn't know if he would ever recover from it.

"Only a woman can break down a man in such a way." His superior had said with a lift of his brow. "Am I wrong?" He almost challenged.  
>Denning had shook his head. "No, you are not wrong." He shamefully admitted, and that was when he was offered to the job, to travel to Preugas III, which was known to be a favorite hideout for Romulans involved in illegal trade. He had been looking up at the files of several Romulans who were currently wanted by the federation; there had been a one Krantak who surprisingly enough bore a striking resemblance to Malek. There was many a time where he was temp ted to communicate with them, just write a short note wishing them well and stating he was fine, but his orders expressly stated that he was to contact absolutely no one.<p>

He sighed as he put away his PADD, bracing himself for another long 14 hour shift.

* * *

><p>Malek had quickly become quite a popular professor at the academy. Even cadets who were not enrolled in his courses would come to him and seek out his advice. Sarah knew that it was because he was so easy to talk to, and it didn't feel like you were talking to a professor but rather a friend whom you respected. He seemed to have control over the situation, and knew where to draw the line because there had to be one where student and teacher were concerned.<p>

He sought out Zareth one evening and was looking quite serious, far too serious. "Something is the matter, are you well?"

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just.. I need to discuss something with you and I'm not really sure how to go about it." Malek said with a heavy sigh. Zareth had looked at him strangely. "You have no trouble being forthcoming with any subject Malek, it is indeed unlike you, I trust you are not in some kind of work related trouble."

"What, work? No way! The kids love me for the most part, and I actually am enjoying teaching. I never thought that this is what I would end up doing but there is such a sense of gratification when you see a cadet start at the very beginning only having a basic knowledge of programming concepts and grow into a professional right before your eyes. Yes, it is very gratifying and I can definitely see why Denning would.."

At the mention of his name, they both came up short, because after all was said and done, Denning was irreplaceable, and he was one of a kind who was being sorely missed.

"Your time is soon to come Zareth, you only have a few months left until graduation."

Zareth nodded. "Much has occurred since I first have come to Earth already, much of it already giving me much gratification as you so put it."

Malek smirked. "I'll bet, the first one being that little wife of yours."

"Naturally." Zareth replied. "She is my wife and life-long mate, it is logical to harbor such sentiments."

"and it has brought us together more as a family." Malek replied. "Speaking of family Zareth, I really need to talk to you about.."

But just then, the bell rang, and cadets seemed to suddenly appear by the dozens , their loud chattering silencing Malek at once.

"I'll tell you later!" He practically yelled and then made his way back to his class. Zareth stayed staring at him as he walked away, something was definitely going on, something that obviously held much importance to his brother.

* * *

><p>Everyone was gathered at the Vietnamese restaurant patio table.<p>

Narij was busily talking with T'Mari about the horrible choice of color 'Galaxy woman' suggested in that month's magazine issue, and Zareth and Sarah were discussing what new plants they would put in their green house. Malek and Zhraan were into their own discussions when all of the sudden a large group of cadets walked past them.

One of them, a tall skinny male seemed to recognize Malek and excused himself from his group of friends and walked over to him with a rather large smile on his face. He stuck out his hand towards Malek, "I'm sorry to interrupt professor but I heard the fantastic news and wanted to be congratulate you; I'm sure you and your wife are very happy."

Malek awkwardly shook the boy's hand and thanked him before the cadet returned to his group of friends.

Zareth and Sarah immediately turned towards Malek. "What is he talking about?"

Malek's cheeks burned a violent green color as he looked over at T'Mari, they too had stopped talking and were now looking intently at Sarah and Zareth.

"We did not tell you because we felt it would be unwise given the circumstances and stress you've been dealing with regards to Sarah's mother in particular."

"Tell us what?" Sarah insisted. "If anything it sounds like good news given how that cadet was all smiles and sunshine."

Zareth and T'Mari looked at each other before Malek finally replied with a wide smile on his face:

"Zareth, Sarah; T'Mari and I are going to have a baby."


	61. Chapter 61

**This chapter is kind of inspired by someone I know who recently had a baby. When she first became pregnant, three months later her sister became pregnant too, catches on right?**

* * *

><p>Zareth took the news well as might be expected. Even though they could become pregnant at any time; it was logical for a Vulcan couple to become pregnant after dealing with the blood fever and in all sincerity, he was happy for his brother and T'Mari. Having a child would ground him further and force him to mature in many respects, just like his new role as a professor had forced him to mature with regards to his job, if anything; this was an extremely fortunate occurrence, he wondered if his parents knew already of the news, they would be pleased to learn that they will soon be grandparents.<p>

"That's amazing you guys!" came Sarah's exclamation. Everyone eyed her wearily at first, for the memory of how she reacted when she had lost her own baby was ever present in their minds.

"Are you really ok Sarah?" Malek asked. "I wanted to tell you guys sooner, but I didn't know how you'd react and it seems that when I wanted to tell you, something always came up."

Whether Sarah liked it or not, she was going to have to deal with this fact, this was a happy occasion for Zareth's brother and to put on a tantrum would be selfish and inconsiderate so she put on her most regal smile and chatted up how happy she was for them. They all calmed down when they saw how she was reacting, but Zareth knew better, and although he remained expressionless, he had an idea of what he'd have to deal with when they got home.

Zareth was waiting for the bomb to drop once they were in the privacy of their own home, but Sarah demonstrated nothing. She picked up her books and set them on the table as she usually did when she was preparing to study. She walked over to the kitchen and set the tea kettle on.

"You want tea honey?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you." He replied and waited but she said nothing else.

"You are not upset?" He asked.

"About what? Your brother and T'Mari? No! Of course not! I'm not! You and I are not the only one's entitled to have babies Zareth, I'm really happy for them! I think it will be good for them, especially your brother, maybe he'll stop being so immature now."

"This is true, but it does not ease the pain that we have to wait till our turn is to come."

She looked up at him in shock and blinked rapidly to hold back the tears. "You.. you're in pain that we have to wait too?"

He nodded. "Just because I can repress it, doesn't mean I don't feel it Sarah, and I feel your pain too, but you must consider that we have only a few months until graduation, and I believe it would be logical to start seeking medical advice as to what you in particular would need to do for you to carry our baby successfully to full term."

Her eyes lit up and this time a sincere smile crept upon her face. "Do you; are you serious about this Zareth? Are you really sure you want a baby right after graduation?"

He came around to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her waist and peered into her beautiful emerald eyes. "Perhaps it would be wise to start a month before graduation so that there are absolutely no delays, but we must not tell anyone of this. It should only be made public when we have been successful."

She nodded, and a sudden mischievous smirk came upon her lips. "Yes, but I think we should do something else as well. I think it would be logical for us to practice making our future baby as often as possible."

"I concur with your thoughts and believe we should start right now."  
>She let out a surprised yelp when he suddenly picked her up and led her up the stairs for he too would not waste any time.<p>

* * *

><p>"Did you buy Sarah's reaction to our news today?" Malek asked T'Mari when they were alone.<p>

"Buy? You do not believe she is happy for us?"

"That's not what I meant. I don't doubt that she is sincerely happy for us, it's just that... Our being pregnant is a reminder of what she and Zareth cannot have yet." He said staying pensive about the situation, and suddenly felt guilty about not having told them sooner, they were family and by all rights they should have been first to know, but at the same time, it was such a sensitive subject for them that he found no matter what he did, nothing would be right.

"Maybe I should have a talk with Zareth, but.. He would just deny everything with his logical nonsense to not worry us, maybe we shouldn't have told them yet."

"And how would I explain my growing mid-section to them Malek? Even now they had to find out due to someone else, a stranger knew before they did. If I were human I believe I would be offended so I think they took it more than well."

"I should explain to them.." He began. "Their seeing us will be a constant reminder, I do not want Sarah in particular to resent us."

"I do agree that you should apologize on my behalf as well for not having given them the news sooner, they are our only family on Earth."

"I'll wait a few days to do it, they probably need their space right now." Malek said.

* * *

><p>Zareth and Sarah didn't waste time in getting preparations underway. They made the first visit to the doctor where they both had full physicals done to make sure they were both in good health, when they got the all clear for that; Sarah was to go back and discuss options with the doctor. Apparently a new treatment had just been approved for inter-species couples wanting to become pregnant and the side effects would be minimal.<p>

"You came just in time Mrs. Williams, this treatment was not available until last month when all the tests came back proving it is a success; you and your husband should have no trouble so long as you follow the guidelines."

Zareth was awaiting news from her when Malek happened upon him in the courtyard during break.

"Where is your other half? I cannot believe that you're really here alone." Malek said as he took a seat next to him.

"She had an appointment; I am waiting to hear from her." Zareth replied.

"Appointment? Appointment for what? She's not ill is she Zareth?"

"No, she is in good health." Was all Zareth replied. Malek continued to look at him as if trying to seek some kind of hidden secret out, but Zareth betrayed nothing in his looks.

"But she was at the doctors not two days ago, I remember you telling me that you went too! I know something is wrong, now tell me!"

"I do not wish to discuss the subject any further Malek." Zareth warned, and Malek was shocked at how quickly his brother was dismissing him; he never did that.

"I knew this would happen, we traumatized her didn't we? The news of me and T'Mari?" He sighed loudly and shook his head. He felt as if the building relationship he had with his brother was now crumbling because of all this. "That's why I wanted to keep it a secret for as long as I could!" He mumbled.

Zareth's comm began to beep and he quickly looked to see it was Sarah, probably with news of what the doctor had told her.

"I must leave you now." Zareth said as he stood up and began walking away.  
>Malek sighed as he watched him go. Zareth had no doubt been acting even more serious than usual, he hated to think that the one thing that should have brought them all together even more as a family was actually going to be what would cause them to drift apart, and he couldn't let that happen. For many years he had been estranged from family, mostly due to his not wanting to settle down, and now that things had changed so much for the better, he was not prepared to just let it go so easily. He refused to let this ordeal break them apart.<p>

Zareth could not wait until the evening to see Sarah, and for the first time, he did not have the patience to wait for a shuttle so he ran quite a distance until the medical building came into view and he saw Sarah sitting on one of the benches in the shade. She stood as she watched him approach her, and a wide smile quickly came upon her face. She hugged him tightly and kissed his lips tenderly before she dug into her pocket and showed him a small disk, upon closer inspection he realized it was a prescription, no doubt for the treatment she would need in order for them to get pregnant.

She smiled up at him and whispered:  
>"When you're ready Zareth; this is it."<p> 


	62. Chapter 62

**Special thanks to ****scarletwitch0, Ahlysha, LORRETA JEAN, Wildblume, Jamille Shane, -Miss_AC/Floyd**, **and Artemis Fortune for your reviews!  
>And thanks to all others who favorite this story, 72 so far, I can't even believe it!<strong>

**Just as an update, I'm going to be putting a poll soon in my profile where you can vote if you'd like to see a sequel of this story once it comes to an end which I estimate will be after another couple half dozen chapters give or take, so be on the lookout for that. **

**Also, if you enjoy Romulan stories, Lorna Winters and I have started a joint story called; "Forbidden Love; A Tristan and Bianca story" Made of mostly OC characters of mine and Lorna Winters. It's an adventure/romance piece so check it out sometime!**

* * *

><p>Sarah was in full baby mode.<br>As soon as she got home from school, instead of tending to her chores and starting up on dinner, Zareth found her scouring books and the computer for the perfect baby name.

"Zareth! I'm so glad you're home!" She exclaimed happily. "I was thinking that if we have a girl, we should name her Sareth, and if we have a boy, we can name him Zorah. Either way it can be like a combination of our names! What do you think? You think that's a bit cheesy? You want them to have more hardcore Vulcan names? Would your parents care? Should we name the baby after one of them?"

"Calm down my wife." He said as his fingers rakes across her lips. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before she opened them up again with a large smile spreading quickly across her face.

"I can't help it Zareth! We're finally going to have a baby!" She said jumping up and down in her seat.  
>She blinked as she looked at him and then looked up at the time. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe that's the time!"<p>

Zareth raised a brow and looked up at the time. "It is accurate, it is now 1800 hours."

"I didn't even make you your dinner Zareth, I'm so sorry!" She said as she got up and kissed him. "I'll make it up to you; I promise." She said as she ran her fingers through his short bangs. "Let's go to the Vietnamese place, my treat."

A short smile appeared on his face as he kissed her fingertips. "We shall go to the Vietnamese place then, but I expect to be compensated for this devastating shortcoming in some other way as well."

She winked and smirked at him. "Of course, but we'll deal with that _after_ dinner."

He lifted a brow. "That is agreeable."

They were just going to grab their usual table out on the patio when they saw both Malek and T'Mari sitting there as well.

"Hey guys, what brings you here?" Sarah asked with a bright smile on her face.

"As of late T'Mari seems to be craving the veggie Banh mi sandwiches they make here almost every single day, we're going to make the owners of this establishment rich I tell you!" Malek replied, but T'Mari did not seemed amused, but seemed to brighten up when the waiter brought over not one but two of the sandwiches and a tall glass of boba tea. Both Sarah and Zareth looked at the tea and then back at her in surprise but she simply shrugged in her usual stoic fashion. "I like the tapioca pearls, they give it good texture."

"Uh huh…" replied Sarah as she smirked at Zareth.

"Well you two look awful cheerful, what could possibly be the cause of… Nevermind, I probably don't want to know; you two are a bunch of crazy love fiends!" Malek said as he realized who he was talking to.  
>Dinner had been a pleasant affair, and both Malek and T'Mari felt a little more at ease when they saw Sarah was actually quite happy, they had been worried that since they had been going back and forth to doctor's visits that maybe she was having to deal with psychological issues regarding children seeing as how that sometimes occurred with humans who had undergone traumatic experiences, or maybe she was getting treatment and it was working well for her, he didn't know and he wasn't going to push the subject for they were having a good time right now.<p>

"So, I talked to Denning last night." Malek said and then everyone stopped to stare at him, Sarah in particular looking the most shocked.

"You?! Talked to Denning? And what happened? How is he? When is he coming back?" She asked.

"Well, you must understand that we didn't talk for very long. I get the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be contacting me at all or anyone else for that matter, his mission is extremely classified but maybe he needed to hear a familiar voice."

Zareth lifted a brow. "He has undergone some very difficult issues as of late."

"I think we all can attest to that Zareth." Sarah replied.

"He thinks he might be coming back in a month from now, and asked how you guys were holding up."

Sarah sighed. "He didn't ask for my mother did he?"

"No, he didn't, and I didn't bring her up, speaking of which she hasn't been bother you has she Sarah?"

She looked up at Zareth but shook her head. "No, we placed a restraining order against her because we felt it was necessary and since then she hasn't really bothered us again."

Malek raised a brow. "You should still exercise caution though, you know that I'm here to help in any way possible." He finished with a smile. He looked over at T'Mari and saw her that the bountiful meal she had had was now causing her eyes to shut ever so slightly which indicated to him that it was time for them to depart for the evening.

"Well, we better go; we'll see you guys tomorrow." Malek said as he gathered his things and his wife before they left.

Sarah and Zareth watched them go, Sarah in particular had a thoughtful look to her face. "You know, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Malek has matured a lot recently. He hardly cracked any jokes about you and me, didn't make any flatulent noises with his mouth at the table, and was carrying a poised conversation… Could it be that he's actually taking this whole Star fleet professor/father thing seriously?"

Zareth raised a brow. "I personally feel that he has come a long way from the brother I knew back on Vulcan, we could hardly be in the same room for a long period of time. I believe life events and circumstances change people. I believe that I have also changed since I have arrived here from Vulcan."

"For the better I'm sure." Sarah said with a smile.

"I concur; for I met you here on Earth and I would not have changed that for anything Vulcan ever had to offer."

They stayed looking at one another for several moments and then a smile crept up to her face again. "You want to head back home now?"

He raised a brow. "Please lead the way."

* * *

><p>The following day Zareth was walking from campus over to a nearby grocery store after his classes had concluded, Sarah had asked him to get some things for dinner that night. He was about to cross the street when he heard someone call out his name. He looked up and saw that it was Deet hastily running down the street wearing a grey-pinstriped suit and talking into a communicator at the same time.<br>It was amusing to see his antenna's bob around as he ran, but Zareth hid this fact impeccably.

"It is agreeable to see you; it has been quite a long time." Zareth stated.

"Yeah! It's good to see you too Zareth, I've just been so busy! Things are really going well for us here, moving to Earth was a definitely a wise choice, and I cannot wait until your graduation so you can come and help me! I need someone with your expertise on my staff, maybe then I can finally take a vacation with Ankita!"

Zareth blinked. "So, am I to assume that you and Narij's sister?"

"We haven't gotten married but; I plan for us to. Every free moment I have, I find myself flying out to India, and it would be so much easier if she were my wife and living here with me!"

Zareth raised a brow. "Perhaps you should bring her here on one of the occasions. We have not had a gathering at my home in quite some time."

Deet's azure eyes sparkled and his antenna tweaked a bit. "I would like that very much, you just let me know when and I'll try to get her to come here and spend a few days with her sister, I can't see why that wouldn't work…. Oh! And speaking of work, seeing that your graduation is just around the corner, I'm going to go ahead and send you the forms for employment that I'll need from you, they'll be a test that I know you'll probably breeze by and then as soon as you get that diploma, you can come work for me the very next day; how does that sound?"

"That is quite agreeable to me." Zareth said with a slight upturn of his lips.

"So we'll be in touch, I gotta run or I'll be late for a meeting, I'll send you those forms!" Deet said and sped off again.

Zareth took a moment to mentally go over what had just happened, things really were shaping up quite nicely. He already technically had a job so he would be able to provide for Sarah and their unborn child right away without having to worry over the financial aspect of it. Yes; things were shaping up quite nicely indeed.


	63. Chapter 63

There were only a few weeks left before graduation.

Zareth had already signed the required documents that Deet needed, so all that basically remained was that Zareth graduate. All things considered, Deet would've taken him regardless, but Zareth was adamant that he go through with what he had set out to do from the very beginning, back before he had met Sarah.

He pondered this briefly during his meditation and allowed himself to wonder what life would have been like had he not met her that day in the study lab.  
>He envisioned various scenarios but the one thing that they all had in common was that he was alone in every one of them. Of course he knew that he would have eventually ended up with a mate of his parents choosing, but like his previous mate before Sarah; she would attain his name, and his family alliance and not much else.<p>

However, it wasn't just the fact that he would've undoubtedly been alone, but through Sarah, he had been able to meet new people that had it not been for her, he wouldn't have been socially inclined to get to know in a deeper level and all things considered, it was how he ended up meeting his future boss.  
>More importantly, there was the fact that it had been because of Sarah that he and his brother had now been able to attain the relationship they had never had before.<br>He most definitely was not the same Vulcan who had arrived three years previously to Earth, but he was very satisfied with himself, and even more so with the way life in general had turned out for him.

He and Sarah had shared many conversations since her last trip to the doctor and he was finally able to logically convince her to stay at home during her first pregnancy since he would be able to fully provide for them both and their unborn child with more than enough income to spare given the calculations he mentally ran in accordance to the contract he had signed. He knew once the child was born that Sarah would want to go start looking for work, but it was illogical to speak of such matters now. He would wait and "Cross that bridge when he got to it." As Sarah would often say.

They had dinner at the house that Friday and invited everyone over.  
>Deet brought Ankita with him and right away, all the women congregated together to talk about Ankita's new engagement ring. It was official; Zhraan had paved the way of change for his family to marry outside of the usual Andorian keth. The most predominant voice in the group of women of course was Narij who was ecstatic about the union and was speaking even faster than she normally did.<p>

"So we gotta pick out the colors, the theme, we gotta ask Aunt Minari to make those really tasty samosas that she makes, oh! and we gotta tell cousin Raj that the flowers he used for our wedding were.."

"Narij, pause for a second and breathe; you're turning blue like your husband." Malek joked.

She rolled her eyes and held up her hand. "Whatever Malek, you're just jealous that you're not the main attraction anymore."

"That's right; I'm passing that attraction on to my offspring who will be every bit the charmer and looker that I am, and it doesn't hurt that his mother is a heart stopping beauty either." He said with a dashing smile.

"He is so humble; it is one of his many modest qualities." T'Mari replied with a slight smirk playing on her lips as she rubbed her still small mid-section.

"By the way..." Malek continued in a more serious tone. "Denning is coming back."

Everyone stopped and looked at him with wide eyes except Zareth who merely lifted a brow.

He chuckled and he drank the remainder of his wine. "I knew that would get everyone's attention." He smiled. "Yeah, but seriously, he returns next week. I think we should plan something for him, preferably not in a public setting where the chance of Sarah's psycho mom showing up becomes a probability."

"Oh my gosh! That's so mean Malek!" Narij whined.

"No, it's true." Sarah immediately replied. "As far as I'm concerned, the only mother I have is Zareth and Malek's mom."

"But, you don't really think she would try to get a hold of him do you? I mean it's been a long time since we've heard anything of her, maybe she's finally taken the hint and left." Zhraan said.

"Her precise actions would be difficult to gage given that she does not appear to be in a sound state of mind." Zareth replied. "It would be wise to always remain vigilant where she is concerned, even though she has not given any indication that she would physically cause harm, it would be illogical to take her lightly."

There was an awkward sort of silence for a few seconds when Malek suddenly exclaimed. "Well, let's not give her the satisfaction of spoiling our fun, where's my food Sarah? I'm hungry! Serve me this minute woman!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

The week went by quickly, and everyone was on the lookout for Denning, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Sarah went to what was now Malek's classroom before class started. He had smiled from ear to ear.

"Sarah! To what do I owe the incredible pleasure of your presence?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah ok; I'm not here to see you, where's Denning?"

He blinked and pointed his finger at her. "Zareth and I need to have a talk with regards to how sassy you've been acting lately. I mean, I know that you're not going be a cadet anymore, but you still need to give me your undivided attention and utmost respect for I am your superior!"

She crossed her arms and raised her brow. "Are you done whining?"

"Such sass!" He exclaimed and began laughing while leaning back in his professor's chair.  
>"No really.. I don't know where he is, I haven't heard from him since last week so your guess is as good as mine."<p>

A couple of days went by and there was still no sign of him. Sarah and Zareth had been walking home when she brought him up again. Even though Zareth could feel through their bond that her interest in seeing him wasn't founded on a romantic attachment, he still couldn't help but feel unsettled by her constant mention of him.

"Perhaps he will appear when he is ready to be seen Sarah, it could be as simple as that." He had replied.

She stopped and looked at him in mid-stride. "Awww; you're jealous!" She practically sang.

"That is a human emotion I am not familiar with." He replied coolly.

"Mmm hmmm, you do realize that I could feel your annoyance right? I'm just worried about him! I still sorta feel like it's kinda my fault that he got tangled up with my mother who ruined his life."

"Your sentiments do not change the facts. He has not made himself known so we must conclude that he therefore does not wish to be seen yet and we in turn must respect that. There is no need to press the matter and make assumptions that may or may not be true."

"So in other words, stop talking about him." She replied.

"That is the general idea, yes." His face remained completely stoic but she could feel that he didn't like the fact that she was bringing him up so much and in many ways she understood it. If he were the one going on about a woman non-stop she would've been livid.

She sighed. "Fine, I do understand the logic in your statement my husband, let us then shift the conversation to the fact that I am craving Pho." She ended with a smirk in his direction.

He lifted a brow in response. "That is the second time this week, and you have shifted preference from the standard medium sized vegetarian pho to the large portion with extra condiments on the side."

She put her finger to her lip as she thought about it. "I have haven't I? Must be all the stress from exams and graduation coming up."

"And may I remind you that two nights ago, you brought home an entire death by chocolate cake which was consumed that very same night."

She laughed and pointed her finger at him. "You can't put the blame entirely on me for that because you probably ate at least a third of it yourself, then you picked up Kelam and started quoting the probability of him falling asleep if I were to cradle him in my arms and rock him to sleep. You were totally out of it!"

His cheeks flushed an olive hue before he cleared his throat. "Yes well, let us go to the Vietnamese restaurant then."

* * *

><p><strong>Denning returns in the next chapter and things will take a drastic twist, so stay tuned!<strong>

**There will be two more chapters and an epilogue before this story comes to an end. The poll to vote is up on my profile so take a few seconds to place your vote.  
><strong>


	64. Chapter 64

Graduation day was finally upon them. Sarah was so excited that she couldn't even sleep so she instead joined Zareth for a walk bright and early in the morning.

"Are we perhaps walking too fast? Should I slow down?" Zareth asked as he looked at Sarah's still flat mid-section.

She laughed at his reaction, he looked so cute. "We're just walking Zareth, we've done more vigorous things and we've been fine." She replied with a coy smile.  
>He remained silent and she knew that meant that he had reasoned that her reply was logically sound.<p>

"When will we tell the others?" He asked as he looked her up and down with unhidden pleasure. It didn't really make sense to him, but for humans it really did seem to be true that when they were carrying a child, they seemed to take on an exuberant glow. He never before thought his wife looked so beautiful, granted she was always beautiful but even more so now, and what's more, he had always desired her but now he seemed to desire her even more, and she wasn't complaining so he never hid or tried to repress said passion when they were alone. He was thankful for the new treatment that had come out recently, had it not been for that he probably would've had to wait until Sarah was on her 6th week before they got the ok to be intimate and frankly speaking; he didn't know that he would've been able to resist her for that long without losing his sanity, but he would never voice that thought aloud; ever.

She laughed and held his hand, not caring that they were in public, and he wasn't resisting her touch. The tingles she felt when their fingers touched allowed her to know what he wanted and she couldn't help but laugh at his increased libido lately. If he were allowed to they would probably never even bother leaving the house.

"It's only been a week since we found out Zareth, don't you think we should wait a while until.." and then her voice faltered a bit. She wanted to be as positive about this as possible but there was always that lingering doubt in the back of her mind that if something went wrong, she'd have to tell the others about their failed attempt of having a baby, and she wasn't sure she wanted to endure it. She wanted to be absolutely sure that she would be able to carry the baby to full term. So far she was doing well with her treatments and her appetite had increased significantly. The doctor had told her that so long as she kept up with the treatments, and made sure to keep up with her calorie intake, she and baby would be fine.

"I understand your sentiment. When you are ready, we shall announce our news." He replied softly. She smiled in turn and squeezed his hand gently.  
>"Let's get back home; we have a graduation to get ready for."<p>

OooooooOooOOo

"When were you going to tell me the news?" Malek asked as he sat in their living room with little Kelam lying on his lap. It had taken some time, but the two had finally formed a bond of sorts. The cat's eyes were half closed as Malek petted his fury blonde head.

"Come on in Malek, make yourself at home." Sarah replied in an exaggerative manner. "How did you get in here anyway? Nevermind, how long have you been here?" Sarah rephrased her question.

"A couple of minutes." Malek replied as he continued to pet the cat.

"So you know then." Zareth said as he held Sarah against him.

"I suspected something was up when you two were always sneaking off to get medical examinations, but I didn't officially figure it out until I saw you guys at the Vietnamese place and Sarah had practically ordered the whole menu, and yet she hasn't gained a pound." He looked down at the cat; it was weird to see Malek talking so seriously, and Sarah then knew he was upset.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked in a demanding tone.

"We wanted to be sure that some time had passed and that the baby was healthy before we let everyone know. We didn't want a repeat of what happened last time, and frankly Malek, I don't see why you're here confronting us about why we haven't told you anything. If I remember correctly, we found out about your baby thanks to a student, a student knew before your own flesh and blood did."

"How did I know that you guys were going to eventually throw that in my face? You were all smiles, and acting like you weren't offended when in reality, the whole reason why we kept it from you was for your own protection!" He said as he pulled the cat off his lap and got up to face them.

"I don't see the cause for argument in this matter." Zareth replied as he tried to soothe Sarah through their bond. Since she became pregnant, it was easier to get her in an emotional state than before and sometimes it proved to be a challenge to get her to remain calm.

"Our family is expanding, just as we had planned, if anything I would find this situation a cause for celebration." Zareth continued but that didn't really seem to convince Malek and he crossed his arms and huffed.

"Do the others know? I bet they do."

"Nobody knows Malek!" Sarah yelled a little too forcefully.

"I'm leaving." Malek said as he pushed himself off the counter and headed for the door. "See you all at graduation." He didn't look back at all as he slipped out the door. Zareth could feel Sarah's anger as if it were his own. She turned to him with her emerald eyes blazing.

"The nerve of him! Coming here and calling us out like that! Who does he think he is?!"

"Please Sarah, I beg that you would calm yourself, it is not worth getting emotional over."  
>And he was right, but she couldn't help it, so she immediately marched over to the fridge where she grabbed a bowl of sliced fruit and began eating right away, but that didn't really seem to do the trick so she pushed the fruit aside and went back to the freezer this time and immediately dipped her spoon into the rice milk ice cream where she shoved several spoonfuls in her mouth and began mumbling angrily.<p>

"You have to understand his viewpoint. He seems to think that now that we're both going to have children in the future, he fears that this will separate us as a family rather than bring us together."

Sarah rolled her eyes and continued to eat. "That doesn't make sense."

"Normally I would agree with you, but given how he grew up and what he has personally been through in his life, it stands to reason that it does make some sense. Please do not be angry with him."

She sighed and pushed the already half eaten pint of ice cream away.

"Fine, I'll try to control my emotions better, and anyway; we don't have time to quarrel about this, we have a graduation to get ready for."

OooOoOoOooooOooOoooO

The auditorium was packed. Sarah was amazed at just how many cadets were going to graduate. There wasn't an empty seat in the house and soon enough; Admiral Tsinsao approached the podium and beamed down at the sea of faces before him.  
>Sarah couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia when she saw he was the one to give the ceremony. The last time she had seen him was at an honors cadet ceremony when she and Zareth were still just friends, and here she was now; A married woman, graduating and pregnant with Zareth's child. It was all too overwhelming for her and she couldn't stop the tears as they began streaming down her face.<p>

"What is wrong?" Zareth whispered with concern.

"Nothing, just... hormones." She replied.

He nodded his understanding. After finding out that Sarah had successfully become pregnant, he had been doing research of his own and discovered that a great many changes take place in a human female's body once she becomes the carrier of a child. It was not uncommon for them to go through emotional hormonal spikes often and despite all the research he had done, it wasn't the same as actually enduring her strong emotional surges. It sometimes required that he meditate longer than normal in order for both of them to remain emotionally in check.

Once Admiral Tsinsao was done, another man approached the podium, gave a small speech and made the introduction to yet the next speaker who would have the honor of calling out the names of graduates and never did Sarah expect that he'd call out the name of a certain Commander Denning. All of the sudden he approached the podium looking drastically different from what she remembered him to look like. He looked as if he had aged twenty years, and the man must have lost close to thirty pounds since his uniform seemed to fit much too big now, his pants were obvious being kept from falling by a smaller belt than what would normally fit his uniform. Nevertheless, there was an explosion of applause and he was given a standing ovation complete with cheers and wolf whistles from the female cadets.

"Alright, alright, settle down." He said with the same old smirk and twinkling eyes. "You know how this goes, when I call your name, please come up to the podium to receive your award."

Sarah narrowed her eyes and hummed in thought to herself. Others might not have noticed but she knew that the old Denning would've taken the opportunity to crack a couple of jokes right then. Maybe twirl around the stage and banter about his weight loss, or tell the ladies to calm down because he was not up for grabs, or something! And yet by the way he was speaking it was as if he was being forced to be up there. Something definitely was not right and she knew it all along because he had never even bothered to come visit them or make his presence known and he had returned and been back for quite some time.

It had felt like an eternity had gone by but he had finally called out her name, his voice even cracking when he did so. Zareth looked up at her and raised a brow, but she didn't have time to really say anything as she approached the podium. He never even looked at her, his vision stayed glued to the PADD with all the names and he swiftly handed her the certificate and mumbled a:"Congratulations Sarah" and that had been it. No hug, not even a handshake like he had given to the others. It was almost as if he were trying to hide his face from her, and Zareth immediately felt her overwhelming concern.

The entire gang waited outside of the auditorium for him, and he had flown out the side door so quickly that had Malek not shouted out his name, nobody would've known he had ever left. He stopped in his tracks without turning around.

"Hey! If I didn't know any better I'd say Denning here was avoiding us!" Malek said loudly. Narij giggled but then stopped when she saw the look on Denning's face as he finally turned around to look at them all.

"It's good to see you all." He said in a tone that was completely unlike him. "I'm proud of all of you."

"We're all going back to our residence, you are most welcome to join us." Zareth said, trying to gage his reaction.

"I can't, I uhh.. I have to meet with some people." Denning said almost too quickly.

"No, something's wrong." Malek replied. "I didn't want to say anything before because I know things have been difficult and you were working on a classified mission that almost completely drained you and I figured maybe you were tired or stressed out but it's not that is it?"

Denning's facial expression became hard and he began walking away. "I have to go."

He then actually ran away from them, leaving everyone standing there and watching his running figure grow smaller and smaller until he crossed the street and disappeared from sight completely.

"I don't wanna be the one to say anything but.." Narij started as she put her hand up in a dismissive form.

"But you're going to anyway." Malek mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Malek, you're probably the reason he hates us now!"

"You don't think it's because we remind him of what he can't have do you?" Sarah said with tears already forming in her eyes.

T'Mari raised a brow and cleared her throat so that everyone was looking at her. "You do not think it possible that he is still communicating with your mother do you?" She asked Sarah.

Everyone was suddenly silent until Malek shook his head. "There's no way he would do something so stupid as that."

"Wouldn't he?" Zhraan asked. "Love can make one do just about anything."

"There's no way." Malek continued as he shook his head. "I mean that would just be beyond stupidity."

"Which would explain why he is avoiding us at present." T'Mari continued. "His manner displayed shame, he tried to run away from us and remain undetected as if he is trying to hide information from us."

All of the sudden, everyone looked at Sarah and her eyes grew wide in turn. "Don't look at me; I would be the last person to know anything about it. Zareth and I even took restraining orders against my mother."

"I still think that we should give Denning the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he would stoop so low as to secretly see that woman behind our backs after all the trouble she caused not only us but especially to him! I mean the woman is insane!"

They all continued to talk amongst themselves but Sarah couldn't hear anything. All she kept thinking about was the possibility of Denning still keeping in contact with her mother. As outrageous as it was, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was actually very possible. Sometimes infatuation caused people to do incredibly stupid things, and it could have disastrous consequences. It would explain why he was trying to stay away from them; he wouldn't want them to become involved in his madness, it also explained why he didn't look her in the eye when he handed her the certificate, why was he hiding if not for shame?

OoOoOoOoOoO

It was hard to celebrate after what had happened. They did go back to Zareth and Sarah's place but all they did was talk about what could have happened to Denning, they didn't even bother to bring up the news that Sarah was expecting a child. It was only ten minutes before they left that the topic finally shifted to discussions about what they would do now that they were no longer cadets. Deet was going to expect Zareth bright and early the following morning at his new office at 700 hours and they were standing in a separate corner discussing details about that.

After everyone left, Sarah began checking her messages on her PADD as Zareth was taking a shower. She was just about to compose a message to T'Mari and ask if she wanted to spend some time with her during the day since Zareth would be off working when a new message came up from a "Brandon D." She narrowed her eyes as it had no subject title and she didn't recognize the name at all. She should've followed her instinct and deleted it immediately, but curiosity won and before she knew what she was doing, she was clicking on the message and reading the contents.

_Sarah,_

_I need to speak with you about what has been going on, you're the only one I feel I can talk to with regards to this matter. Please meet with me tomorrow morning at 800 hours at 730 Jefferson LN., it is where I am currently residing. Do not tell anyone of our meeting, I do not wish to overly concern everyone._

_See you then,_

_Brandon Denning_

"Brandon Denning? So that's his name?! All this time and I still never knew his first name." Sarah said to herself as she read over the odd note time and time again. Sarah was no fool, and the note sounded really odd. As soon as Zareth came into the room, she showed it to him and his eyebrows quickly rose up with concern.

"I do not wish for you to go." He immediately replied.

"What do I do then?" She asked in turn.

"Forward this note to Malek, he will know what to do." Zareth replied as if it were the most obvious answer.

"He's going to think me untrustworthy if he shows up instead of me."

Zareth came around and looked deep into her eyes. "I do not wish for you to go my Sarah. I do not trust his motives given how he comported towards us today. He has been behaving in an irrational manner, and he more than anyone should know that meeting alone with him would not be proper."

"I won't go alone Zareth, I'll have Malek come with me. He is obviously in need of help and we can't just turn our backs on him."

Zareth actually sighed in response and closed his eyes, shaking his head all the while. "I don't like this Sarah; I do not wish for you to go at all… but you will feel as if you have failed as a friend if you do not." He sighed again, this time reaching out and gently stroking her stomach. "So long as Malek is there then I will allow it, but you will contact me as soon as you have returned."

Sarah nodded. "Absolutely, I will let you know."

Zareth leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sarah in a gentle embrace, his hands seeking contact with her skin and his lips quickly merging with hers. _I love you _ she whispered to him via their bond. He broke away from the kiss and swiftly picked her up off the ground, carrying her upstairs, the Denning incident suddenly forgotten; at least for now.

* * *

><p><strong>One more Chapter and the Epilogue to go.<strong>

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, but there's only been 8 votes so far, 6 are pro sequel, but I need to see a lot more votes to be persuaded into writing a sequel. Most of you know that it takes time and energy to write these stories and since I've transitioned over to a new job, time will be even more scarce than** **before. ****Show me love :-)**

**Thanks again**


	65. Chapter 65

**The long awaited final chapter! Epilogue soon to follow.**

* * *

><p>Malek accompanied Sarah to meet with Denning. As they neared the home, Sarah immediately got a bad feeling. The house seemed so run down and abandoned, she cringed to think that Denning was really living in such conditions.<p>

They climbed up the steps and the wooden boards beneath them were so old and rotted that Malek actually fell through on the third step.  
>Sarah couldn't help but first stare in shock and then break out laughing.<p>

"So much for those fast Vulcan reflexes!" She heaved as she fanned herself.

"No, it's okay Sarah; I don't need help getting up, just stay standing there and laugh at me." He said as he easily pulled himself up.

"Let me go up first, the last thing I need is for Zareth to be on my tail if something happens to you." He said as he made his way up. He pulled on the front of his star fleet uniform and finger combed his hair before knocking on the door, but as soon as his fist made contact with the door, it noisily creaked wide open, exposing what seemed to be a bare room with only an overturned chair and what seemed to be various pieces of paper hastily scattered about.

"Ok, this is just plain weird." Malek said as he stepped back. He held his hand out to Sarah and helped her up should she too fall under the weakened floor boards. She too saw the scene before her and gasped out loud.

"You don't really think that he's been living here do you?" She asked in total shock.

"I… I hope not I mean.. This is all so very strange." Malek said in total confusion. He took a couple of steps forward and kneeled down to pick up one of the scattered pieces of paper only to find out that it wasn't actually paper but a picture. He turned it around and on there was a black and white photo of a young girl riding a bicycle with a pretty basket in the front, she was smiling happily up at the camera.

"Oh my goodness…" Sarah exclaimed. "I think that's me!" She said as she automatically knelt down beside Malek and picked up the photo to further observe it.

Malek's eyes grew wide and he quickly started to overturn all the photos. There were more pictures of Sarah, all of them when she was very young.

"This is beyond freaky." Malek exclaimed. "I'm calling the authorities." He said and was about to fetch his communicator when the door behind them abruptly shut. They both jumped up and turned to find Sarah's mother's facing them and pointing a phaser towards them.

"You will do no such thing." She said with a menacing stare.

"Well?!" She exclaimed angrily. "The letter specifically stated for you come alone and here you brought.." She sneered as she looked Malek up and down. "A repulsive Vulcan!" She spat. She then looked at Sarah again. "You take after you father in that respect, he always did have a thing oddities." She said as she continued to look at Malek with disgust.

"Is that why he married you?" Malek asked feigning innocence.

He began laughing and then ducked his head when she swung her phaser at him. He elbowed her stomach and the phaser flew from her hand on to the ground. Malek quickly dove for it and was about to point it towards her when he was shot straight in the chest and knocked back several feet. He landed so hard that some of the floor boards broke in the process and his right leg was dangling under the now torn floor, and there was a steady small trail of green blood pouring onto the floor. Sarah screamed and covered her face with her hands. She pulled at her hair at the sight of Malek unconscious form before her.

"You bitch! Did you kill him?!" She sobbed as she was about to make her way towards him.

"Uh, uh, uh." Linda said as she pointed the phaser at her. "I love you Sarah, you are my dear sweet daughter, but you better believe that I am more than ready to fire at you if I need to. " She said with a cynical look on her face. Sarah stopped moving but she was sobbing at full force now. She couldn't stop looking over at Malek and her stomach twisted in tight knots. They had been so stupid to come so carelessly, they should've known better, she should have heeded Zareth's words of caution.

OoOoOoOoO

* * *

><p>"Something has happened." Zareth said in the middle of the training module. Deet looked up at him in alarm. "What do you mean? Is it that thing you were mentioning to me earlier about your brother and your wife visiting that Denning fellow?"<p>

"Yes." Zareth replied as he was quickly gathering his things. "I felt it through our bond, they are in danger; please call the authorities and have them go to 730 Jefferson LN I must get there now immediately." Zareth said as he was already heading out the door.

"Well wait a second, I'll drive you there." Deet said as he ran after him displaying panic and dread.

While they were in the car, Deet called the authorities. Zareth on the other hand was mentally thinking of what he would need to do once he got to the place of meeting. He knew that despite Sarah's extreme emotional state ringing in his head wildly like an alarm, she was unharmed; at least for now.

When Deet ended communication. Zareth quickly turned to him. "I must ask you, do you have a weapon that we can use?"

Deet looked at him with dread at first but quickly tried to calm himself down. Without answering, he began to prod around under his seat when he hit a blue button and a small drawer opened revealing an Andorian carbine phaser.  
>Handed it over to Zareth and asked: "You really think you'll have need for it? You really think it's that serious?"<p>

Zareth raised a brow. "I hope that I will have no use for it, but I believe that the situation is quite dire."

Deet continued to drive with a deeply concerned and perplexed look on his face. "You think Denning lost it or something?"

Zareth turned to him. "I don't think it's Denning who is causing them harm."

OoOoOoOoOo

* * *

><p>"You made me do this Sarah." Linda said with a crazed look in her eye as she continued to point the phaser at her.<p>

"You couldn't let me enter your perfect little world, so I had to scheme, I had to plot, and I had to hide! Do you see what you've made me do! You selfish, and unfeeling girl!" She now screamed as she pointed the phaser at Malek who was still unconscious on the floor.  
>"All I wanted was the love of a daughter, is that asking so much? Was that really too much for you to give to me?"<p>

Sarah's face became hard and angry as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "YOU are not my mother, you're a monster who abandoned me and my father for some Hollywood jerk and your stupid fans! Where are they now huh? How did the grand life of fame and fortune treat you mother? Now you have to force me to talk to you by holding a phaser up at me? You're pathetic!" Sarah sneered.

Linda moved the dial on the phaser and smirked. "You're my daughter alright. Death could be staring you right in the face and you still have that feisty temper. How is it that a Vulcan could be drawn to such powerful emotions? " She looked Sarah up and down. "Of course, he is not blind, for like your mother you have inherited my beauty, I'm sure he was on his logical hands and knees begging for you to be his bride."

"You don't know a damn thing about it, I love Zareth, and he loves me." She laughed sarcastically. "A Vulcan knows more about love than you." She sneered.

That ignited Linda's ire and she slapped Sarah hard, knocking her back against the wall.  
>"You will respect me!" She shouted. "Those that don't respect me pay and they pay dearly, just like your friend Denning."<p>

Sarah's eyes snapped open and her face paled. "Wh… wha.. what about him? What did you do to him?"

Linda laughed. "Such a poor excuse for a man, well; no bother, he wont be in the picture anymore anyway." She said as she held up the phaser to Sarah and again started turning the dial. " I didn't want it to come to this, but it seems like this will be the only way where we can end up together as it should be. A mother and her daughter should never be separated."

A slurred cry escaped Sarah when she realized what she was going to do and she began to panic in earnest as she pulled away. "Please don't… You can't! I'm pregnant!" Sarah cried hysterically.  
>This of course had no effect on Linda who smirked in response. "Everyone makes mistakes."<p>

Sarah felt the word around her spin wildly, it had all become too much for her to bear. With pain in her heart she reached out to Zareth via their bond, caressed his mind with her own and conveyed to him the intense love that she had always felt for him. Images of them having first met ran through her mind. The time when she first met him in the lab, she remembered so vividly his deep eyes and his intense stare followed by the sound of his voice. Then the image moved to their first kiss in the holosuite, to the time they had bonded in his cramped little studio apartment at star fleet campus.  
>"<em>I love you Zareth, so very much<em>" She whispered to him via their bond, she was already starting to lose consciousness when there was a loud shot, and she heard Linda scream and felt her let go. Sarah felt herself falling as well but was caught before she could land on the floor.

She looked up but everything was blurry, despite not being able to see properly, she felt Zareth surrounding both her mind and physically. "_Sarah, stay with me_." She heard him call to her.  
>"<em>Always.."<em> She replied back before completely losing consciousness.

OoOoOoOoOoO

T'Mari came back to the waiting room after having spoken with the doctors.

Narij , Deet, and Zhraan anxiously walked up to her and asked: "Well? What do the doctor's say?"

"He will be fine, the phaser was set to stun, it was the fall and hit to his occipitale that they were concerned about but he will recover."

"His what?" Narij asked.

"The back of his head, he hit himself pretty hard, but the doctor's say he will recover fine."

Narij sighed loudly. "This is all so crazy! Like a freak movie or something!"

Just then, Zareth walked into the waiting room as well and they all circled him and awaited his news anxiously.  
>"Sarah and the baby are fine." He said.<p>

"The baby?" Narij asked in shock. "Oh my gosh! She's pregnant?!"

Zareth continued without answering her question specifically. "I should also inform you that Linda was declared dead 57 minutes and 14 seconds ago. The carbine phaser it seems is not as forgiving as the standard federation phaser."

"What about Denning? No word on where he is?" Zhraan asked.

Zareth shook his head. "They have not been able to locate him, but there is evidence suggesting that she came into contact with him. I fear for his well being."

"Let us not come to conclusions this early." T'Mari interjected. "It well may be that she had somehow tricked him to leave planet and that is why they have not been able to find him."

Zareth raised a brow. "I hope for his sake that you're right."

_One week later…  
><em>

* * *

><p>Malek sat up and cringed in pain, he was sitting on the black leather sofa. He fixed the sheets around him before leaning over and picking up a bell and ringing it loudly.<br>A few seconds later Zareth made his way downstairs and looked expectantly over at his brother. "You rang?"

"I'm thirsty, and also, could you fluff up my pillows for me? It's making my head hurt." Malek said with a smirk on his face.

Zareth gave a small sigh and walked over to the kitchen to grab his brother some water.

"Zareth! When is T'Mari coming back?" Malek yelled from the sofa.

Zareth raised a brow as he grabbed the water and headed back to the living area.  
>"The time of T'Mari's arrival has not changed since you last asked 8 minutes ago." Zareth replied.<p>

Malek smirked yet again and made himself comfortable as his brother fluffed up his pillow for him.  
>"It sure is nice of you and Sarah to have taken us in since the incident. I quite agree that family should stick together! As a matter of fact, Sarah should be lying here on the other sofa keeping me company!"<p>

Zareth blinked in a bored manner. "She is resting comfortably upstairs Malek, she'll come down when she is ready."

"That's awful that I'm being left alone!" He began to complain. "I was almost killed, I was at death's door! I was… "  
>Just then, Zareth picked up Kelam and threw him over on to Malek's lap where he instantly smiled. "Oh hey buddy! You care about me right?" The cat blinked at him and then proceeded to make himself comfortable on Malek's stomach. Malek happily petted him as Zareth looked on when there was a knock followed by the door opening allowing T'Mari and Narij to walk in.<p>

"So we need to see if they'll set us up for the baby shower, and then we have to call the caterer and make sure he makes vegetarian dishes."

"Hey! No chipmunks allowed in the house!" Malek yelled at Narij. She rolled her eyes and so the discussion began. Zareth took the opportunity to head back upstairs to his Sarah. She had woken up and was laying on her side. He carefully crept up behind her before wrapping his arms around her.

"They're back aren't they?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"You heard?" He whispered near her ear.

"It's hard not to hear Malek and Narij's bickering." She then turned to him and looked into his eyes. "My love, are you sure you're alright with missing work this week?"

"Deet insisted that I stay home until everything returns back to normal." He replied.

Sarah stayed staring at him. "I don't know what is normal anymore Zareth, this whole situation has really shaken me."

He knew it was true, he could feel it though their bond and he was having to soothe her more than usual.

"We have eachother…" He then caressed her midsection. "And the baby." He whispered.

She smiled in turn and placed her hand over his. "Our baby Zareth."

"That's all we need Sarah, each other."

She smiled. "I love you Zareth, I love our baby."

Zareth gave a contented sigh as he looked into her eyes. "As do I my Sarah."

**FIN**

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><p><strong>I am already working on the epilogue, I'll try to get it loaded tonight, maybe tomorrow at the latest. <strong>


	66. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_**3 years later…**_

"Honey, you're going to be late for work." Sarah said as she made Zareth a sandwich and salad in the kitchen despite the 7 month old baby boy she had strapped in front of her. It was different from other slings as it had been specifically engineered by Zareth himself to posture the baby specifically to the correct contours of his and Sarah's body. It also didn't hurt that the fabric used for the sling was absolutely beautiful and imported from India care of Narij.  
>The sound of a distant door opening and closing caused Sarah to look up and see Narij walking towards her holding Suran, Tobeth's twin brother, and her own little one; Roselin trailed behind.<p>

"He's all cleaned up now Sarah." She said as she placed Suran on the back sling so that Sarah was now carrying two babies, one in front and on her back. Suran wiggled his little balled up hands at Narij, his hands opening while his little fingers tried to touch her forehead.

Narij leaned forward and smiled. "What is it little guy?" She asked as she leaned forward to concede Suran's request. The faintest of smiles was on Suran's face and Narij stood there waiting for the thoughts that little Suran was trying to transfer finally made sense to her.

"Oh my gosh Sarah! This little guy is slick! He keeps sending me images of me feeding him."

"But I fed him already." Sarah said as she finished packing Zareth's lunch.

"I know!" She giggled as Suran clapped his hands together happily. Tobeth on the other hand was very quiet and intently watching what his mother was doing with a serious look on his face. Both baby boys had inherited their father's dark eyes and hair, as well as his unique ears. Sarah wondered if they had in fact gotten anything from her, she could swear that she had only served as the incubator for they were all Zareth, except for little Suran, he was already showing tendencies to be like his uncle Malek in personality.

Zareth finally came to the living room holding his two year old daughter's hand. She looked up at him, and her bright emerald eyes that sparkled back at him, he was wearing a grey pin striped suit and a silver tie.  
>"Are we going to school father?" The little girl asked in her high pitched voice.<p>

"Yes T'Savah, do you have your books with you?" He asked.

The little girl nodded and lifted her small purple back as if to prove her answer.

"Good, go bid your mother farewell." Zareth instructed.

She walked up to her mother who carefully knelt down and gave her daughter a loud kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day at school T'Savah." Sarah said with a wide smile on her face. She then turned Zareth who lifted a brow as she smirked. "You're wearing a suit today, meeting with the big wigs?"

Zareth gave a slight upturn of the lips. "We are about to close on a 330 million credit deal, Deet specified that I 'look my best'."

Sarah took a deep breath as she reached for him. "I love it when you wear suits, you look so handsome." She looked into his eyes and soon they were ardently kissing while little Tobeth looked up between his parents with a frown on his face as if he disagreed to their public display of affection. This caused Narij to burst out into giggles which in turn served as a reminder to both Sarah and Zareth that they were not alone and that Zareth would be late for his meeting if he didn't hurry.

"I must be on my way then." He said as he begrudgingly let go of his wife.

_"I will have you for my own later tonight, make sure to be wearing that same suit._" She said to him via their bond. With the passing of time, Sarah had gotten better at relaying messages to Zareth via their bond, there were times where they could have lengthy conversation without even saying a word. It sometimes drove Malek crazy especially when too much time had passed and he was not the center of attention, but in that respect; he had improved greatly since he had a child of his own to worry about.  
>T'Lina was a beautiful little girl who if she could, would spend every breathing moment with her cousin T'Savah . They got along well with Narij's daughter too but the stronger connection was obviously there between the cousins.<p>

"It is the Vulcan way." Zareth had explained. "The ties of family will almost always exceed that of any other kinship."

The next evening, Malek and T'Mari came over for dinner. The girls had gone upstairs to play in the nursery afterwards while Malek held Suran and bounced him lightly on his knee as the small boy laughed happily and tried to stick one of his fists in his mouth.

"T'Mari, we should have one just like him. We still have only one child meanwhile Zareth and Sarah are already making plans to have five more in the next three years!" He said as he continued to bounce Suran.

Sarah smirked while Zareth's cheeks grew greener in hue. "He's caught on to our plan Zareth." Sarah said teasingly. Zareth cleared his throat and changed the topic of conversation. "So, when does construction for your house begin?"

"The guys are due to arrive on planet two days from now. Did I tell you that father paid the credits for the supplies like he did for your home? The old man just wouldn't take no for an answer."

Zareth nodded. "It is his way, you should not be surprised."

"Yeah well, he and she who is our mother will be arriving next month to see it so we need to set aside some time and maybe take them somewhere nice."

"We will make the necessary arrangements." Zareth agreed.

"I'm just going to go check on the girls, I'll be right back." Sarah said as she handed Tobeth over to Zareth and made her way upstairs.

"So, T'Lina tells me that already there are boys circling T'Savah." Malek said with a smirk. "I hope you have your shot gun ready Zareth, because that girl came out beautiful like her mother and the boys are going to be lining out the door for her before you can say koon ut so lik."

Zareth looked up with wide eyes. "Boys? What boys? T'Savah has not mentioned this to me, she is only two years old, I don't see how…."

"There is a young Vulcan boy in their class. T'Lina tells me that he teases her about being half human."

Zareth shook his head. "His actions do not sound logical for a Vulcan."

"Well, the kid is only four years old, and apparently he only acts that way when T'Savah is around. T'Lina says he never stops following her. Sounds to me like he's got a crush and doesn't know how else to approach her other than to point out what he seems to view as a flaw. I wanted to make you aware of it so that you could talk to her. She's still very young but she needs to understand that being teased for being who she is is not ok."

Zareth nodded. "I shall speak to her about it. I thank you for bringing it to my attention."

"Hey what are brothers for, and with that, I think it's time for us to head out." Malek said as he rose up still carrying Suran.

….Meanwhile, on the other side of town; a man sat alone tending to his bourbon. The bar tender was wiping a glass as he looked over at the familiar face, trying to mentally place where he had seen him before.  
>"You new in town sir?" He asked.<p>

The man with the shabby beard seemed to think about it for a moment. "You could say that although…." He paused for a moment and downed the rest of his bourbon. He got up from his chair and left the amount for his drink and tip. "Although some would consider me dead."

He smirked at the bartender's shocked reaction and without another word, he turned around and disappeared into the night.

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><p><strong>Much thanks to all my faithful readers who stuck by this story since it's beginning chapters. It was your reviews and persistence that actually motivated me to continue.<strong>


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